Ep419 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

By the time Baek Woo-jin finally succeeded in ruthlessly cutting down the tree resembling his own face, the other team members were going through a similar ordeal themselves. "Haaaah!" Dang Sun-young faced a flurry of falling leaves, far outnumbering the daggers she could hurl with both hands. The leaves, sharp as if crafted by a master artisan with utmost precision and care, cut, stabbed, and pierced her repeatedly. Puh-puh-puh-puh! The daggers she unleashed nonstop from her hands tore through the leaves with ease and still had enough force to embed themselves in her carved face on the tree. "Hah, hah...!" Mantenhua Rain. By mastering a secret skill that no one outside the head of her clan could fully grasp, she overcame the trial set by the tree. The others were no different. "Hyah!" Jeong Ryeon-ji faced leaves so enormous they could cover her entire body. Unlike Dang Sun-young's, her adversary was endlessly supple and soft, mocking her by wrapping around every force she sent out and returning it double. After being flung multiple times into the steel-hard trees, she finally succeeded in reversing the returning force back double. Crack! Trapped in an endless exchange of increasing power, she finally overcame the trial. Do Kyung faced the black wind assassin dance that even stood rival to her father's. After being hacked down by relentless black winds dozens of times, "Aaaaaah-!" feeling her etched face on the tree suddenly unlucky, she summoned all her strength to tear the black wind apart and smashed her fist forward, shattering her carved face completely. "Hngh!" Goo Wang-soo defeated the tree that wielded his family’s swordsmanship better than himself. "...?" The shadow clan girl, Song Hee-yeon, simply struck the back of the tree with her sword to claim victory, staring blankly at its carved face. Even a tree that mimicked its opponent’s skills couldn't traverse realms. "Foolish thing." The Blood Sorceress snapped the crimson branches with ease. "You underestimate my blood arts." Her blood magic fortified her hands and imbued them with a significant amount of fire energy. No matter how hard as steel, branches were just branches. Yoo Hwa-yeon and Shin Ye-hwa too overcame their trials without difficulty. After losing their beloved, all that remained was to lend their strength to Baek Woo-jin, who walked the path he was supposed to tread. With their backs against the wall, no mystical tree could halt their determined stride. Jang Sam also effortlessly triumphed over his trial. Unable to mimic spiritual power, the tree that replicated the weakest martial skills of his team was no match for the new secret arts he revealed through his spiritual texts. "Descent of the Spirit." A secret art that channels the will of a mighty spirit lingering in the world, granting temporary use of its power. "Kuhaha! Who dares stop me!" Inhabiting a master from the world of martial arts who made a significant mark a hundred years ago, he crushed the unassuming tree and claimed victory. "Ugh, oh, I’m dying!" Struck with immense pain as a side effect from recklessly using the spirit descent. Likewise, Geum Yeo-ul, whose martial prowess was not profound, easily overcame her trial, leaving only Seol Su-yeon still struggling against her tree. A challenge hard enough that one might expect at least someone to fail or give up. Yet, the reason none of them failed was Baek Woo-jin. ‘This is nothing…!’ ‘Compared to the training from the team leader and Senior Mo-myung.’ ‘Just need to break a bit more!’ The daily training that pushed them to their limits was never just about rapid skill improvement. Overcoming oneself. This in itself instilled a will as strong as steel. For those who surpassed their limits little by little each day, rising and crushing a slightly superior opponent was no challenge at all. With their consecutive victories, the thick trees surrounding them started to vanish one by one. "Baek Gongja!" "Gaga!" "Team Leader!" As they began to gather one by one around Baek Woo-jin, who stood at the center, one person was yet to appear. "…Is Lady Seol still not finished?" Seol Su-yeon. The barrier surrounding her remained sealed, firmly maintaining its closure. He stared at it intently before taking a step forward. "If she can't do it, we can just help her." There hadn’t been any words forbidding interruptions, after all. The barrier surrounding Baek Woo-jin and his team stemmed from the very sapling Seol Su-yeon had saved. And now, trapped within the barrier, she remained beside that sapling. "Is it you? The one who saved my dying self?" The sapling spoke with a seasoned familiarity that surprised her. Nevertheless, Seol Su-yeon managed to respond, albeit with a startled expression. "Huh? Yes... I did save you..." She instinctively realized it. The sapling before her, shaped like a tree, but in truth, it was a person. So, she asked, "Who are you?" To which, the sapling replied, "I was the King of the Plains... No, since my kingdom is no more, it’s better to call me the Ruler of the Plains." "What..." Seol Su-yeon let out an astonished sound, eyes wide with disbelief. It was unexpected; that tiny sapling claimed to be the very King of the Plains Baek Woo-jin had been searching for. Which implied... "So this place is... the king’s tomb?" Bayaan’s words were indeed true. The tomb of the king who once ruled the plains and established a nation was not underground—it was above ground, hidden meticulously. As she processed this, the sapling continued to speak. "Out of compassion, you saved me, but it’s also true you seek my treasure." "So I presented a trial. A trial that would crush ordinary people instantly." "That’s...!" Overwhelmed by emotions. She trusted Baek Woo-jin. He had always emerged stronger, overcoming trials and tribulations without losing his life. Yet, she wasn’t completely free of worry. 'He might get hurt again.' Every time, his body bore more scars, big and small. She was always the one to heal them. While she found joy in being close with him, it also brought her a deep sadness. She recalled how he silently endured the pain every time as she treated him. Whether the sapling understood her feelings or not, "By now, they would be defeated, collapsing under their abilities..." The sapling’s sentence trailed off. The roots deeply entrenched beneath the plains, its connection to the trees it had created began to sever. "What is...!" Not just one or two, but in abundance like bamboo in spring. Finally, when all connections were severed, "I found you." Baek Woo-jin burst through the barrier, finally reaching where they were. "…!" The sapling, startled, trembled its slender body. While Seol Su-yeon, "Warrior!" Using the name that felt more natural than "hero," she dashed into his embrace. She began to examine him all over. Of course, there was no ulterior motive. "Are you hurt anywhere?" "No, wait...?" "L-let me check, just in case... Hehe, ahem!" Probably not. She examined Baek Woo-jin's body thoroughly, as if kneading rice cakes. After healing the wounds found on his sides, shoulders, and thighs, she pulled away, satisfied. "It’s all good now!" "Uh..., uh-huh." Feeling significantly lighter. Despite a nagging sense of discomfort, the main concern lay behind her. The trembling sapling. "Was it you? The one who threw us into the barrier." "...Yes." A tone tinged with wounded pride. "But, young one, you lack manners. In status and in rank, I’m far superior." An attempt to assert dominance unwisely. It only succeeded in stirring up the resistance simmering within him. "You’re just a tree, talking about manners to a human?" "Impudent! Despite this form, I once ruled these plains...!" "Enough." Rubbing his fist as he approached. As a precaution, before swinging, he turned to Seol Su-yeon. "Can I punch it?" "No, wait...!" After pondering, Seol Su-yeon spoke. "I think a little might be fine. If it’s too much..." Finishing her words with a sweet smile, "I'll just heal it again." Baek Woo-jin answered her smile with a grin of his own. "Is that so?" With nothing left to hinder him, his fist soared high into the sky about to strike down. The sapling, panicking, cried out, "Treasure!!" His fist halted mid-air. At this opportune moment, the sapling quickly spoke out. "Weren’t you after the treasure?!" "The source of power possessed by the Ruler of the Plains—the Mokhaeng Shinju!" Mokhaeng Shinju. It seems to be the name of the item that Cheonma was desperately seeking, without even knowing what it truly was. --- **Author's Note** I apologize for taking a day off from publishing. Due to some personal matters at home, I've been running around and haven't had the time to write. I'll be back on track with strong efforts for continuous updates. I'll see you in the next chapter. Thank you, as always, for reading. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)