Ep410 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

The Zagaltae tribe had established itself as a massive force, vying for dominance over the plains. Yet they couldn't fully extend their might, held back by the powerful martial artists supporting the rival great tribes. However, Zagaltae now had someone of his own—an unrivaled master backing him up. 'There's no reason to hesitate now!' He led his warriors into battle, conquering the surrounding tribes that once paid him tribute, claiming their lands as his own. "Go forth, my valiant warriors!" "Waaaah!" Finally, they began to confront the tribes that had sold their souls to the religious cult. A fierce battle ensued among the warriors brandishing swords, spears, and axes. Amidst them, a master in a flowing black robe unleashed a dazzling display of martial arts. The master, who had crushed the skulls of Zagaltae's warriors in a split second, grinned through the blood splattering his face. "Perfect timing. Just when I thought we were short on manpower, they come walking right to us." Searching for the tomb of the king who once ruled the plains was a task more arduous than imagined. To be precise, it was more daunting than exhausting. Finding a hidden tomb somewhere in the endless plains without any clues—such a task was far from easy. "Hyaaaah!" "Die!" "Hmph." Bam! Crack! As he shattered the skulls of the terror-stricken warriors charging at him, he surveyed his surroundings. These people were all manpower. If he indiscriminately slaughtered them, they'd run short of hands again. The best method in such times was to kill their leader. "Found you." Spotting the imposing figure of Zagaltae mounted on a majestic horse, he leapt. His palm, extended to abruptly kill Zagaltae, surged with a powerful energy. He was confident this strike would crush his opponent's skull. Boom! But a man suddenly appeared, effortlessly deflecting the energy with his sword, disrupting his move. "......" The composed expression on his face turned tense. Effortlessly blocking a strike that contained more than seventy percent of his power meant the man before him was also a formidable master. "…Who are you?" "Uh, I'm Gu Wangsu." "Gu Wangsu…?" The man's face twisted into a scowl as he repeated the name in a bumbling tone. "How dare an unknown nobody counter my martial art…!" His pride was wounded. But Gu Wangsu was equally at a loss. "I'm not a nobody…." Apparently, this man was not up-to-date with the latest information from the central lands. Not recognizing Gu Wangsu, who had made a name for himself by diligently training under the Thousand Light Sword God Baek Woo-jin. "I'll kill you instantly!" The man summoned all his internal energy, unleashing a fierce martial art. Yet, shockingly, his full-force attack was easily dismantled by Gu Wangsu's sword, vanishing without a trace. Even after accomplishing such a feat, Gu Wangsu's mind was elsewhere. 'Umm…, what did Baek Woo-jin usually do in this situation?' Aiming to emulate Baek Woo-jin, Gu Wangsu conceitedly imitated him. "Is that all you've got?" "Insolent…!" The taunt hit its mark. Enraged, the man furiously unleashed martial arts. And each time he countered, Gu Wangsu echoed the same words like a parrot. Boom! "Is that all you've got?" Whoosh-! "Is that all you've got?" Crack! "Is that all you've got?" Unable to land any attack, coupled with the continuous taunts, the man finally lost his reason. "Graaaah! Die, just die…!" And those were his final words. Scccch Seizing the wide-open gap, Gu Wangsu decapitated him in one swift motion. Sliding his untainted sword back into its scabbard, he exhaled in satisfaction. "Truly…, Baek Woo-jin’s taunts are unmatched!" He seemed to be fanatically engrossed in something peculiar. * * * The Zagaltae tribe quickly absorbed the surrounding larger and smaller tribes. They became a vast entity unmatched by anyone on the plains. All thanks to Baek Woo-jin and his subordinates, but Zagaltae was indifferent. "Hehe…, among the Han, they call this situation 'fisherman’s gain.'" Fisherman's gain (漁父之利). There was no better word to describe his current situation. "If only they find that king's tomb…!" This massive tribe would be entirely his. Yet, his mind wasn't entirely filled with such rosy dreams. The tribe had expanded so much that now its territory was immense, stretching to the borders of another tribe. “Ugh... but before that, we need to do something about the Bayan tribe.” Bayan. The name of the chief who led a small tribe with merely twenty or so warriors. Yet, he was often referred to by a different title rather than his name. “No matter how great Baek Woo-jin is, can he defeat a Bagatur...?” Bagatur. A title as honorable and prestigious as Khan, meaning warrior or hero, among the people of the plains. When a demon wreaked havoc across the plains, the Bagatur was the only warrior who stood and fought until the end. “Even the demon acknowledged his skills and spared him... Ugh.” Remarkably, he survived even then. The demon, impressed by his prowess and spirit, decided to let him live. “What to do about this?” Caught in deep thought, he realized his worries were pointless. The true leader of the tribe was Baek Woo-jin. He would be the one to face Bayan, so it was best to leave all decisions to him. “Yes, that's right.” Resolved, he headed straight to the second-largest tent after the chief's. “Great hero! I have something to discuss with you.” Glancing around cautiously to see if anyone was watching, he called out softly to the tent. “Come in.” Hearing the invitation, he quickly entered the tent, bowing his head. “Hehe... Have you been resting well?” “What rest? I haven't done a thing.” “Yes, indeed.” It was true, as the glory from their battles with numerous tribes was achieved not by him, but by his subordinates. “So, what's the matter?” Shaken from his thoughts by Baek Woo-jin’s question, he replied. “Uh... As our tribe has grown larger than expected, we've encountered an issue.” “If it's a matter of governance, I'd prefer if you figured it out yourself.” “Ah, I've got that covered. The problem is outside, you see, outside.” “Outside...? You mean other tribes?” “Yes, precisely.” Explaining briefly, Baek Woo-jin caught on swiftly as Zagaltae described Bayan. “So the nearest tribe now is Bayan's.” “Yes, that's correct.” “And this Bayan fellow is called Bagatur, which means hero or warrior in Mongol.” “Precisely, you are so astute.” “And this fellow is a battle maniac who loves challenging the strong.” “Perfectly accurate!” As Zagaltae fawned over him, Baek Woo-jin's gaze turned cold. “Don't add comments to everything I say.” “Uh... s-sorry.” “...Anyway, according to you, this guy might show up soon.” “I believe there's a big chance of that happening...” “Bayan, huh.” A man who once faced the demon of the plains, even for a short time. ‘The demon of the plains must refer to the Heavenly Demon.’ That meant he was a warrior brave enough to fight against the Heavenly Demon. The part about sparing him for his courage and spirit made Baek Woo-jin unknowingly chuckle. ‘Is there still a sense of chivalry left in him?’ It was quite contrary to what the title of Heavenly Demon would suggest. ‘Surely, it wasn’t just respect for his courage that made him spare him.’ Granting mercy was only possible if the opponent's skills warranted it. Considering that, it implied the opponent was likely a master at the level of Hyunkyung. ‘A master from the plains at the level of Hyunkyung.’ A man titled Bagatur, meaning hero or warrior, was surely going to be interesting to see what he was capable of. “Hmm.” Sinking into thought while stroking his chin, he asked Zagaltae. “How skilled are the warriors under that Bayan chief?” “Top-notch, without a doubt. Each one is likely on par with or surpassing our own great warriors.” “Your great warriors...? You mean that shaggy, burly one?” “Yes, that's right.” The man Baek Woo-jin described was the only warrior from the Zagaltae tribe he remembered. ‘That hairy guy was indeed at the peak level.’ Piecing things together, Bayan was a master in Hyunkyung. Supposedly, the twenty or so warriors following him were all at least at the peak level. “This should be fun.” “Yes, it's quite terrifying... Excuse me?” Baek Woo-jin rose from his seat, leaving behind a bewildered Zagaltae, and moved to where his team was gathered. Approaching them abruptly, he asked: “Honestly, the battles so far have been easy, right?” “......” “Come on, they were easy, don't you think?” “......” None of his team members rushed to answer his question. Their past experiences had taught them well. Baek Woo-jin was probably going to assign them some outrageous task. And, true to form, with a broad smile spreading across his face, he continued speaking. "We're finally going to have a real fight after so long, so get ready, everyone." In truth, he didn't care about their answers at all. --- **Author's Note** I'll see you in the next chapter. Thank you for reading as always. Have a restful night. (_)