Aka reorganized his poisons and medicines to better suit both his plan and his personal growth. He recorded every recipe in a book, preserving them for posterity.
His most important poison was without question Directious—a compound created by carefully mixing compatible toxins. It could be applied to a blade as a liquid, or used in powdered form. Depending on the herbs mixed into it, the poison could act quickly or slowly after entering a wound. Once absorbed, it affected all the blood vessels in the injured area, inevitably leading to the victim's death.
His most important medicine, on the other hand, was called New Life. When used at a critical moment, it rapidly replenished Physical Energy while simultaneously neutralizing harmful substances in the body and promoting recovery. The medicine was nothing short of miraculous, but it had one major drawback: it was liquid. Although it acted quickly, its form made it difficult to transport.
Both the poisons and medicines had multiple grades. Aka classified them simply as strong and weak. Thus, he possessed strong and weak versions of Directious in both solid and liquid forms, as well as strong and weak versions of New Life.
Once everything was in order, Aka went to speak with Lord Wang.
"Greetings, my lord. I have arrived. What would you have me do?" Aka said. "I believe my involvement with the Young Master is no longer necessary."
"Usta Aka," Lord Wang replied, "I had reached the same conclusion and was considering appointing you as one of my personal guards. However, since your identity is already known, I would like to hear your thoughts on what we should do."
"To reduce the risk of assassination," Aka answered calmly, "I propose becoming the royal food taster. That way, we eliminate concerns about poison while allowing me to continue my duties as a physician."
"A brilliant idea," Lord Wang said without hesitation. "I accept. Thank you for remaining by our side. You may go."
Aka bowed respectfully and left the room.
Once again, he found himself marveling at the ability he had gained from the Third Ritual. As he returned to his quarters, he reflected on his observations: most of the palace was already under his influence. Only two people—Chen and Lord Wang—were less affected, their strong Physical Energy resisting his power. Until they were fully influenced, Aka would not put his plan into motion.
He opened his eyes and immediately went to inspect Lord Wang's meal. After confirming it was clean, Aka found himself with free time until the next serving. He headed to the training grounds to speak with Chen. Kang was nowhere to be seen, and with no one else present, Aka decided to conduct his final test.
"Greetings, Usta," Chen said.
"Greetings, Chen. I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course, Usta. You may ask anything."
"If you were to suddenly become the head of the family," Aka asked quietly, "would you hold me responsible?"
Chen's expression hardened instantly. "No, Usta. If such a thought even crossed my mind, I would smash my head against a wall until it shattered. I could never think that way. You are the one who tied me back to life itself. There is no one I value more than you. Please never think otherwise."
"Thank you, Chen," Aka said. "I knew I could trust you."
After leaving Chen, Aka went to one of the chefs. Before speaking, he issued a silent command to the others—you saw nothing. Lacking Physical Energy, every chef had already become his slave over the past two months. He gave Chef 34 his final order along with the poison to be added to the meal, then departed.
The plan was simple: Aka would eat first, declare the food safe, and then Lord Wang would eat. Aka would then collapse and remain unconscious for several days. During that time, Lord Wang would already be dead.
The poison could have killed Lord Wang instantly, but Aka required subtlety. A perfect murder demanded precision.
That evening, everything unfolded exactly as planned.
Two or three days later, Aka ended his meditation and opened his eyes in a soft, silk-lined bed. Chen stood beside him, eyes red and swollen with tears.
The shock of losing his father—and the fear of losing his master as well—had pushed Chen to the brink. Though his father was gone, he could not truly believe that his master would die. In his mind, Aka was simply too powerful. Still, fear lingered… until Aka opened his eyes, tearing that fear away entirely.
After speaking with Chen for a while, Aka confirmed that his plan had succeeded. Learning that Chen had become the head of the family, Aka could not suppress his smile. And yet, it felt perfectly natural—because like everyone else in the palace, Chen was now Aka's slave.
Two weeks later, Chen had fully adjusted to his role as Family Head and had already freed himself from the Blood Oath under Aka's guidance. During that time, Aka selected valuable equipment from the Wang family treasury and, in exchange, donated ten chests from his own fortune. With Chen's permission, Aka permanently left the palace with his companions.
They were now in the Huangxi region, sparsely populated compared to the central continent. Since the Nest was only a month away, they traveled there quickly, reported the mission's completion, and submitted their reports.
The Instructor at the Nest scolded Aka first, then the entire team, for returning late. Although Aka was no longer the official leader, everyone still followed his commands, placing most of the responsibility on him. They had been given eight months but returned after nine. Still, since they completed the mission without casualties, the reprimand was light. As a reward, they were given fifteen Crystals to be shared and granted one week of free time.
Aka took all the Crystals. None of his teammates objected—by now, they were his disciples, molded by his overwhelming efforts. He told them to enjoy their week as they pleased, then returned to the Instructor to ask about 29's fate.
At first, the Instructor said nothing. Then a Healer stepped forward, explaining that her mission would end in roughly three months, and assigned Aka his next task.
This time, he would work alone.
The mission was simple: escort a caravan traveling from Huangxi to Xiangxi, and once he was certain he could not be traced, slaughter them all and deliver the goods to the Nest. The allotted time was three months.
It seemed the Healer had assigned the mission to reunite lovers. What she did not know was that this would be Aka's final mission for the Nest.
If you've read or taken a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — please leave a comment. I'll probably see and reply right away. Thanks again, and I wish you a great day.