Chapter 59
Grandfather took me to the Eighth Poison Vault (Pal-dok-go).
Eight massive vaults stood in a row, grand and solemn.
The eighth one — the Pal-dok-go, where the rarest and most lethal poisons were stored — was at the far end, hidden from view even from the main gate.
The guards recognized Grandfather and bowed deeply.
Holding me in his arms, Grandfather crossed the gate leading to the path toward the eighth vault with ease.
“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“From now on, you’ll come here alone.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
Grandfather walked past three vaults without stopping.
Then, before the fourth vault, he set me down.
“Ugh-cha.”
“My gift is in here?”
“Yes.”
Clink.
Grandfather handed me a bunch of keys.
I took them without much thought. Four iron keys were strung together on a long metal ring.
“From the fourth vault to the eighth, all contain poisons.”
“…?”
“The first three contain poisonous herbs and medicinal ones. This is the key that opens the vaults starting from the fourth.”
A key?
He just handed an eight-year-old a key to a poison vault?!
Before I could even be properly shocked, Grandfather pointed at the lock.
“Go on, open it.”
I grasped the key but stopped before reaching for the lock, turning to look at him.
“…M-my arms…”
“What?”
“I’m too short… my arms don’t reach, Grandfather…”
“Ah…”
Only then did Grandfather realize the issue and lifted me up.
“I should have a footstool made for you.”
“Yes…”
“You’ll grow taller soon, so don’t be discouraged.”
“I’m not discouraged…”
If this had been my body before I came back in time, I could’ve picked this lock blindfolded.
It was shocking how much difference a lost ability could make.
Sighing at my tiny eight-year-old body, I slid the key into the keyhole and turned it.
Click.
The lock released with a satisfying sound.
“Well done. It’s open.”
Grandfather lightly pushed the heavy door, and it swung open with a deep groan.
A faint poisonous aura seeped out from within.
“It’s definitely weaker than the Eighth Vault.”
“Yes. The ones stored here are much milder.”
He set me down and continued,
“Up to the seventh vault, those with access passes — guards or branch members — can enter and manage them. The toxins here aren’t deadly enough to threaten life.”
Grandfather walked confidently inside.
I quickly followed him in.
There wasn’t a trace of dust; someone clearly cleaned and maintained this place regularly.
“That key is your gift.”
“The key is… my gift? Huh?”
“If you wish, you can come in anytime to touch, tend to, or take what’s inside.”
“B-but… this includes the key to the eighth vault too!”
“That’s part of your gift as well. But keep the eighth vault key a secret.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Tell others you were only authorized up to the seventh. If they find out you have the eighth, there could be… complications.”
“C-complications? Then why—”
“But if it will help you, then it’s worth the risk. Now, come here.”
He pulled out a wooden chest from the corner of the vault.
It bore fresh handprints, as if someone had opened it recently.
When he lifted the lid —
“!”
Hundreds of spiders crawled inside.
I recognized them immediately.
“Jiju (black venom spiders)?”
And not just one or two — hundreds!
Normally, spiders spun webs and lived alone,
but these jijus lived in swarms inside a massive communal web.
I peered closely.
Their abdomens were red, their backs black, and their heads pale white.
Judging by their features, they could only be Heuk Maeng Jiju — the Black-Fanged Venom Spiders, whose bites killed within days!
But…
“They’re too small.”
I leaned in closer, inspecting them again.
They rolled around, clumped together, and sometimes even devoured one another — all about the same size.
Grandfather looked at me.
“Do you know what kind they are?”
“They look like Black Venom Spiders… but if they really are, they shouldn’t be this tiny. The books said adult females grow as large as a grown man’s palm.”
Just then, one of the spiders crawled out of the chest.
Instinctively, I caught it with both hands.
“The reason why those with a Poison Spirit Body are considered among the most gifted,” Grandfather said, gently holding my wrist,
“is because they can command all poisons in the world freely.”
“But that still takes training. The poisons will naturally be drawn to your body, but learning to command them… that comes later.”
I looked down at the spider and tried asking it — like I did with the Blood Serpent — to go back into the chest.
But…
“Yeah, I really do need more training…”
The little Black Venom Spider, unlike the spiritual Blood Serpent, only climbed onto my hand, trembling, unsure what to do.
“I told you poison-taming is a branch of yin-based arts, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“When you can control all these baby spiders, I’ll let you handle a full-grown one.”
Ah, so they’re small because they’re babies.
Grandfather gestured toward the swarm of tiny spiders.
“For now, practice within the clan. Once you can command the ones here, we’ll go to the Thousand Poison Forest.”
“The Thousand Poison Forest?”
“Yes. Once you’re ready to face real, untamed poisons.”
He stood up suddenly.
Huh?
Why was he getting up?
‘Wait… he’s not planning to leave me here alone with all these spiders, is he?’
Surely not… right?
“G-Grandfather!”
“Yes?”
“Are you… leaving?”
“Why? Are you nervous?”
“Of course! You can’t leave me alone with hundreds of spiders!”
“Don’t think of them as spiders. Think of them as friends.”
“How can anyone be friends with bugs…”
“Then think of them as your subordinates.”
“Ugh…”
I glanced at the swarm writhing inside the chest.
No matter how I looked at them, friendly was not the word that came to mind.
Thankfully, Grandfather didn’t leave me alone.
But… there wasn’t much progress either.
I didn’t have enough inner power yet to control the spiders.
Maybe one or two listened to me a little, but Grandfather said I had to command all of them.
“To think I’m supposed to lead a spider army at eight years old…”
This family expects way too much from an eight-year-old.
Still, it’s better than the time I was treated like a disgrace.
Back then, I was nothing but the clan’s shame.
Now, I’m the clan’s pride — their little treasure.
‘Though being treated like a treasure can be kind of exhausting too…’
One of the spiders crawled up my sleeve — only to get eaten by the Blood Serpent.
After that, none of the others even dared come close.
Thanks to that, I managed to leave the Seventh Vault quickly.
“Next time, should I leave the Blood Serpent outside?”
“Let it stay. It could use the extra meal.”
Grandfather said a few eaten spiders wouldn’t even be noticeable.
Later that night, I lay in bed, holding up the key ring under the lamplight.
The heavy iron keys shimmered faintly.
“I never thought he’d actually give me the vault keys…”
In a clan that deals with poison, the poison vaults are everything.
Those eight vaults are the Tang family’s legacy — their very essence.
And now… those keys were in my hands.
“It doesn’t feel real.”
In truth, nothing had felt real since I came back.
Everything seemed like a dream — one that might fade away like smoke if I blinked.
That thought sent a chill through me.
I pulled the blanket over my head and bit my finger hard enough to draw blood.
It hurt — but I didn’t wake up.
‘Good… it’s not a dream.’
Even so, the unease didn’t fade.
My heart was still racing.
‘Ugh…’
Poison arts and assassination skills were fine and all, but…
I wished someone would also teach me how to calm an anxious heart.
Clutching the key tightly, I blinked at the dim light.
Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
