Myst, Might, Mayhem Chapter 5

‘What in the… what is this bastard…?’

His breath was being choked off, and a sudden shiver raced down his spine.

The expression in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, as he grinned widely, was eerily terrifying.

He finally understood the weight of the words spoken by Guard Gam, the captain.

[I mean he’s not someone who can be easily controlled.]

He had dismissed it as mere talk at the time.

However, now that he was experiencing it firsthand, it was clear the boy was unlike any normal person.

Despite having never studied martial arts, his raw physical power and the predatory aura in his gaze were crushing his spirit into a pulp.

Squeeze!

“Ugh…”

The pressure on his windpipe tightened.

He attempted to resist using his internal energy, but he was reaching his limit.

Judging by the haze in his vision, he was on the verge of blacking out.

In that instant,

Swish!

The grip on his throat suddenly vanished.

“Cough, cough!”

Air rushed back into his lungs, and he gasped violently as if he were drowning.

Confused, he looked up.

‘Why?’

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been smiling with such twisted delight, had stopped his grinning.

He spoke with a tone of genuine regret,

“I almost killed you.”

“Cough, cough… Wh- what?”

“If I end your life now, taking the identity of Mok Gyeong-un would be pointless, wouldn’t it?”

Go Chan’s pupils trembled at those words.

It was as if the boy was merely playing with a toy.

What kind of monster was this?

Fury bubbled up within Go Chan, and his lips shook as he spoke.

“…Do you have the confidence to handle the consequences of doing this?”

“Consequences?”

“Without the antidote, you will die. And it will be a very painful death.”

Go Chan brought up the poison Mok Gyeong-un had been forced to swallow.

He had assumed this imposter would understand his situation and back down.

But it was already too late.

He had witnessed the boy's disturbing nature.

Just as the captain warned, this was a person who could never be truly tamed.

He didn't know what would happen in five days, but if this fellow decided to turn on them, it would be safer to kill him by any means necessary.

‘If I leave him be, he will surely stab me in the back.’

Yet, since the boy currently held the upper hand, Go Chan had to force him to realize his vulnerable position.

Go Chan lowered his voice,

“If Guard Gam finds out, he won’t let you off easy.”

“That’s probably true.”

“…But I’ll consider this incident as an impulsive act.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll treat this as a moment of madness caused by being locked up, so return to your room immediately.”

“Go back to my room?”

“Yes. If you go back quietly on your own, I’ll act as if this never happened.”

Mok Gyeong-un gave a radiant smile in response.

“If I intended to do that, I wouldn't have bothered stepping outside.”

Go Chan’s brow furrowed.

Was this fool incapable of understanding the situation?

How could someone who had swallowed a lethal poison and had his life on a leash act so recklessly?

“If the captain, no, Guard Gam finds out…”

“Yes, yes. He won’t just let it slide.”

“But now, if you resist here…”

“If Guard Go keeps his mouth shut, nothing will happen. What’s the problem?”

“What?”

Go Chan was stunned by Mok Gyeong-un’s sheer audacity.

As his superior had said, the boy was truly uncontrollable.

Go Chan spoke, struggling to keep his rage in check.

“They must have told you that if you don’t take the antidote or neutralizer within the hour, your life will also end, but you can’t come to your senses…”

Before he could finish his sentence,

“Monkshood, aconite, hemlock, pinellia…”

‘!?’

As the names of these medicinal—no, poisonous—herbs spilled from Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth, Go Chan’s face went pale.

Every single one was an ingredient used in the poison pill.

“Woodbine, magic mushroom, dutchman’s pipe. Is that about all of it?”

‘…Impossible.’

Go Chan was speechless.

Getting one or two right might be luck, but he was perfectly accurate.

He had correctly named every toxic component of the poison pill.

His shock wasn't just because the boy guessed the ingredients.

The poison pill was created by boiling these components together and drying the result into a solid form; its ingredients shouldn't be identifiable by taste alone.

“Wh- what the …. are you?”

Would even the Poison Emperor Cho Ak-gyeong or the Medicine Immortal Mun-no be able to do this?

‘Didn’t they say he was just a common death row prisoner?’

He was desperate to know the boy's true background.

While he stood there in shock, Mok Gyeong-un remarked,

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve consumed all kinds of medicinal and poisonous herbs. I’ve experimented with boiling and drying them myself.”

“What? You ate poisonous herbs?”

“They told me an herbalist must understand their effects.”

‘…It’s not just for that reason, though.’

He knew there were further reasons, but they weren't important now.

Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un possessed an incredible sensitivity for distinguishing herbs.

If he had ever tasted or even caught a faint scent of something, it was etched into his memory.

Even his grandfather used to shake his head in disbelief at that talent.

“A herbalist, you say?”

“Oh, you didn't know? I spent my life gathering medicinal plants.”

“Nonsense! How could a simple herbalist name the ingredients of a poison pill just by tasting it?”

It was a feat that should have been impossible.

“Judging by your face, it seems I was correct.”

Mok Gyeong-un stepped toward the startled guard.

As the boy closed the gap, Go Chan instinctively retreated a step.

Go Chan barked out,

“E- even if you know that, what do you think you can do? Creating the antidote is far more complex than making the poison itself.”

He began to gather internal energy in his Yongcheon acupoint, preparing to use a lightness skill if he needed to escape.

This boy was far too dangerous.

He had to be ready for anything.

‘Even if he is stronger than a normal person, he has no martial arts training. If I use a lightness skill, he won’t be able to touch me.’

He believed he would be safe as long as he didn't engage in a direct struggle.

At that very moment,

Crunch!

As Mok Gyeong-un stepped forward, the wooden floorboards splintered under his foot.

His leg strength was monstrous.

‘Oh no!’

Like a pouncing predator, Mok Gyeong-un lunged forward instantly.

Retreating was useless.

Mok Gyeong-un’s speed was far too great to allow any distance.

Thwack!

Mok Gyeong-un’s hand shot out.

Assuming the boy would target his throat or head, Go Chan crossed his arms in a defensive stance.

But that wasn't the target.

Tap tap tap tap tap!

“Ugh!”

Mok Gyeong-un’s fingers struck several acupuncture points on his chest.

Go Chan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He was certain the boy knew no martial arts.

There were no signs of him ever developing internal energy, yet the points he just hit were the paralysis acupoint and the mute acupoint.

‘Was it all a lie?’

The strikes were perfectly precise.

Once those points were sealed, movement and speech should be impossible.

However, while his chest throbbed and his limbs felt stiff, he could still move.

“What is this…?”

As he wondered why the technique failed, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head and whispered,

“Was that not how it’s done?”

“What?”

“I tried to copy what Guard Gam did to me, but it doesn't seem to work. I thought that doing it this way would freeze the body and stop someone from talking.”

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un spoke as if it were a casual experiment.

Go Chan was more than just shocked; he was utterly horrified.

If this was true, it meant the boy had perfectly replicated a technique he had only experienced once.

‘He copied it just by seeing it?’

If Go Chan hadn't known better, he would have assumed the boy had been trained in this for years.

The accuracy of the strikes was nearly flawless.

‘Just who is this guy?’

If the boy had possessed internal energy, the acupoints would have been successfully sealed. It only failed because he had simply poked them with brute force rather than refined Qi.

While he stood there dazed,

Grab!

“Guh!”

Mok Gyeong-un seized his neck again while he was distracted.

Go Chan tried to launch a kick at the boy's groin, but—

Crack!

His neck was wrenched slightly to the side.

A fraction more force and his spine would snap. Facing certain death, Go Chan froze.

“…S- stop. If you don’t want the antidote…”

“Ah, about that. It’s still a secret from Guard Gam, but… actually, I don’t need it.”

“What?”

What on earth was he saying?

He didn't need the antidote?

As he tried to process this, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said,

“Because I consumed so many poisonous herbs as a child, I’ve built up a resistance.”

“Re- resistance?”

“Well, my stomach might ache a bit, but a sloppy mixture like the one Guard Gam gave me doesn't bother me at all.”

‘Sloppy mixture?’

Go Chan couldn't believe his ears.

The poison pill used by their Sect was considered a "crude mixture"?

This was a toxin so potent that even a first-rate master would struggle to detoxify it after weeks of focused Cultivation.

‘Just what is this guy?’

If anyone else had claimed this, he would have laughed. But looking at the boy, it was impossible to doubt him.

Suddenly, Mok Gyeong-un did something bizarre.

Chomp!

He bit down hard on his own index finger.

Before Go Chan could react, the boy shoved his bleeding finger toward Go Chan’s mouth.

“Wh- what are you trying to d- mmph!”

He had no choice.

Mok Gyeong-un’s finger forced its way past his lips.

Drops of blood coated his tongue and slid down his throat.

Terrified, he tried not to swallow, but the grip on his throat forced the liquid down.

Shortly after the blood hit his stomach,

“Ugh!”

His chest began to burn.

A searing agony suddenly tore through his entire body.

Even when Mok Gyeong-un let go, the pain was so violent it felt like his guts were being wrung out like a wet cloth.

“Aaaah!”

‘Po- poison?’

It had to be poison. There was no other explanation for such excruciating pain.

Go Chan desperately tried to circulate his Qi, but as he attempted to sit, Mok Gyeong-un kicked him aside.

“Oof!”

He tumbled across the floor.

As he writhed in agony, Mok Gyeong-un knelt beside him and said,

“My grandfather gave me a few rules. One was never to do this. He said that because I ate so many poisons, not only am I immune, but my very blood has become toxic.”

“What?”

The internal torment made it impossible to speak further.

Ignoring his suffering, Mok Gyeong-un giggled.

Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his chin and forced him to look up.

He spoke with a tone of mock comfort,

“It’s alright. My grandfather taught me the cure, and I got better.”

“Aaaaargh!”

Go Chan gripped Mok Gyeong-un’s knees, unable to form words, pleading with his eyes.

Mok Gyeong-un flashed a bright, cheerful smile.

“From now on, I’m sure you’ll be a great help to me.”