THBVD 11

Chapter 11

“The Divine Physician Became a Demon King” 

Final Gate (2)

“First, number one!”

An upper instructor of the Bi-dok-su (Poison Eagle Sect) called out.

Instructor Gyo Maeng-yong briefly looked at the former number one, the 24th child Gwak Hui, then immediately realized—

‘Ah, right. It changed this time.’

His gaze shifted to the new number one, So-baek, a small boy who was easy to overlook because of his slight build.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to be nervous.”

Thinking So-baek was simply scared and subdued, Gyo Maeng-yong misread his calm, cautious eyes.

“Just calmly extend your hand.”

So-baek obeyed and stretched out his arm.

In an instant, Gyo Maeng-yong—an expert in poison techniques—swiftly performed acupuncture.

Whoosh!

A large black poison needle the size of a thick steel pin pierced more than halfway into his arm.

Strangely, there was no pain. But that only lasted a moment.

Thud-dud!

So-baek’s senses shook violently. It felt as if he had been cut off from the world.

‘This feeling… it’s a mixed poison! A combination of neuro-paralytic toxins and several other poisons!’

The moment he was struck, So-baek identified the poison precisely.

In his past life, in order to become the greatest physician, he had even eaten human waste, and had not hesitated to chew and swallow various herbs and toxic plants.

Because of that extreme experience, he had become deeply knowledgeable in both medicinal and poisonous herbs.

‘This is a lethal dose for a child. For a body without innate resistance or the ability to develop resistance immediately… it’s life-threatening!’

It only took him a few seconds to analyze.

‘Should I detox it? No. To learn poison arts, building resistance to entry-level poison needles is essential. I’ll observe my body’s reaction first.’

Fortunately, So-baek was composed.

Rather than panicking, he leaned against a large tree and calmly observed his bodily changes.

“Hahaha, how is it? Feeling dizzy?”

Gyo Maeng-yong smiled in satisfaction as he watched So-baek’s reaction.

Next was the second child.

Unlike So-baek, who endured quietly, the second child was visibly terrified.

“Stop trembling. Show your size properly.”

Though the instructor scolded him, the boy’s fear had another cause.

He had once been stung by a bee as a child and nearly died from the venom.

So he believed he could never survive this poison.

As expected—

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

The large boy—strong and intelligent—began developing red blotches and hives all over his body.

“Oh dear, what a shame. He won’t last long. Half a day at best? I had high hopes for his strength, body, and intelligence… but he’s useless.”

Instead of treating him, the instructor simply clicked his tongue and turned away.

Shudder!

The children trembled at how casually human life was treated—worse than corpses.

Even the usually loud and confident third child began crying.

All 24 children were struck by poison needles from the Ten Thousand Poison Sect.

“Even if you feel dizzy and weak, your ears still work, right? Listen well. This poison is the entry trial poison of our sect. Anyone with talent will survive until tomorrow morning. We’ll return then.”

The instructor spoke clearly to the half-conscious children.

They had to endure a full twelve shichen—an entire day.

At least they were given minimal support: food, water, and protection from wild beasts or poisonous creatures.

“Let’s see how many will see the rising sun tomorrow. This will be fun.”

With a sinister smile, Gyo Maeng-yong left with the other instructors.

Even as they disappeared, all 24 children struggled against the poison.

“Haa… haa…”

So-baek checked his condition.

‘Good. Not too bad. My resistance to poison is strong.’

Fortunately, his body showed no severe reaction and was instead adapting.

At this rate, he could regain movement in half a day instead of a full day.

‘My endurance and resistance are enough.’

If needed, he was ready to detox immediately—but his body, strengthened by the Absolute Meridian Blockage constitution, also showed talent for resisting poison.

‘This poison causes paralysis, hallucinations, emotional instability… even aggression and depression depending on the person.’

So-baek’s analysis was precise.

‘This means the sect intends for us to kill each other. We must not fall into the poison’s influence.’

“Phew…”

Just as he was about to observe the others—

“Wait… why am I fine?”

A familiar voice rang out.

It was the 23rd child.

He had been the one who clung to the former number one, Gwak Hui, acting submissively.

No talent except sharp instincts and survival skills—yet he seemed unaffected.

But So-baek saw otherwise.

‘He looks fine, but his breathing is irregular. His face and body are flushed.’

He was not fine.

Without realizing it, the poison was increasing his aggression.

Soon—

“Hahaha! What? Everyone’s dying?”

The boy laughed, looking down at the others struggling in pain.

He had once felt humiliated serving Gwak Hui and had also been defeated by So-baek earlier.

Now seeing them all suffering, he felt superior.

“Hey, number twenty-four. Help me…”

Gwak Hui weakly reached out.

“Ah? Isn’t this the former number one who looked down on me?”

The boy—now revealing his true identity as Jang Chil, a street thief raised in the Central Plains—smirked.

“Please… Jang Chil…”

“HAHAHAHA!”

Seeing Gwak Hui beg, Jang Chil felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

“I’m not number twenty-three. I’m Jang Chil.”

Then his expression changed.

“Fine, Jang Chil… please help me…”

Instead, Jang Chil began beating him.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Driven by poison-induced aggression, he brutally attacked Gwak Hui.

“How dare you look down on me?! You think you can lecture me just because you lost to number thirty?! DIE!”

He picked up a wooden stick and struck him mercilessly.

No one stopped him—everyone else was too weak.

Eventually, Gwak Hui lost consciousness.

“Haha! That’s what you get!”

Jang Chil panted heavily, exhausted from the violence.

“Damn it… my wrist hurts…”

Only now did pain catch up to him.

Then he turned his gaze.

“Number thirty… or should I call you number one now?”

His eyes locked onto So-baek.

So-baek’s Situation

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Watching Jang Chil lose himself in violence, So-baek thought calmly:

‘As expected. After the 24th, it’ll be me.’

Even without sharp intuition, it was obvious.

He had defeated Gwak Hui before, and they had been hostile from the beginning.

So-baek prepared himself.

‘I need to stand up before he comes.’

But his body was heavy as stone, his vision still blurry.

Still, he could not remain still.

So-baek began acupuncture treatment on himself.

Whoosh!

He injected pine needles infused with inner energy into pressure points around his eyes.

His vision briefly returned.

Then he continued stimulating other points to restore his senses.

“Huff… huff…”

Looking around nervously, he realized things were not going smoothly.

No useful medicinal herbs nearby—only weeds and poisonous plants.

‘If I can’t use herbs… then I must use poison against poison.’

He noticed a plant:

Wild Angelica (Gaedanggwi)—a toxic herb resembling medicinal plants.

‘It’s poisonous. But when combined with poison already in the body, it can act as a stimulant.’

It was dangerous, but he had the knowledge to handle it.

Just then—

“Ah right… that bastard is still there.”

Jang Chil turned toward him.

Now it was truly time.

So-baek reached out, grabbed the wild angelica, and without even shaking off the soil—

He bit into it.