Ep461 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

Mountains of Ten Thousand, the heart of the Demon Sect. At the summit of the highest peak, a solitary woman stood with poised elegance. The night sky, a tapestry of countless stars, adorned like black silk. Amidst the clusters of light, a lone, round moon hung serenely. Gazing up at it, the woman called Cheonma wore a contented smile. The reason? "...The night sky remains unchanged." In a world vastly different from her own in habits, attire, geography, and seasons, only the night sky bore any semblance to familiarity. The sole difference was that, back then, she held the hand of a man. At her side now, instead of her beloved, lay another man, prostrate on the earth. Looking down at him, she asked. "How much time remains?" "We cannot pinpoint the exact day as of yet... but I am confident it will arrive within a hundred days." "A hundred days." Cheonma lifted her gaze back to the heavens. At last, it was nearing. The moment she awaited since the day she abandoned everything and resolved to start anew. Her insides trembled with excitement, but outwardly, her body betrayed none of it. 'Far too early to celebrate victory.' Though she had drawn near to her goal, it remained unachieved. Moreover, there was still a monumental challenge she had to overcome to reach that goal. "Baek Woo-jin…." She murmured the unfamiliar name that did not yet sit comfortably on her tongue. She must thwart him, for he charges at her with unrelenting determination to obstruct her goals. Only she, who shared a journey with him, knew. How arduous and demanding it was to rid herself of him. Is it because he is the protagonist of this world? No. Though miraculous moments arriving at dire times were indeed formidable, his tenacity was far more formidable. A fierce determination, bordering on madness, to accomplish whatever he set his sights on. That relentless gaze of his had finally fixed upon her. Even from a distance, she felt his stare, and it made her shiver. Excitement, joy, fear, unease, and worry. A strange blend of endlessly positive and infinitely negative emotions, and she smiled. "So, this is what all your foes must have felt." To finally face him, an adversary. To savor the intensity of his gaze once more. She wanted to relish this feeling a bit longer. Alas, she regretted that she could not. The hundred days mentioned by the man prostrated before her. If she missed the chance by then, there would be no promise of when another opportunity might arise. Thus... "To the secret agents of our sect in Zhongyuan," Now was the time to act. "Inform them it's time to execute the prepared strategy." The man's face, buried in the ground, lit up with joy. "Yes, my lord…!" The Demon Sect, unrivaled by any single force. The hidden figures in Mount Ten Thousand, ever-watchful for an opportunity to strike Zhongyuan, began their moves. * * * Across the Zhongyuan, the Hao Clan scattered. As Baek Woo-jin reviewed the reports compiled from the information they gathered, his expression gradually hardened. "...Have they begun to stir?" It began with Cheonghaeseong. A battlefield among battlefields, constantly clashing with demons due to its proximity to Mount Ten Thousand. Recently, the number of demons encroaching on Cheonghaeseong's territory had been escalating. "If we consider just this, it wouldn't be too strange..." The number of demons crossing Cheonghaeseong's borders was never static. Sometimes many, sometimes few. This had been the consistent trend throughout the battles fought, but this time was different. "...They're not decreasing." For almost a month, the number of demons had been steadily increasing, not once decreasing. A situation so new and alarming that even the seasoned soldiers, who had fought countless battles in Cheonghaeseong, began experiencing confusion. Consequently, Baek Woo-jin's face darkened. "The frontline must not give way..." The frontline was already maintained at a location not far from Cheonghaeseong. Should the demon numbers continue to rise and push the frontline back, they might soon find themselves besieged within Cheonghaeseong. For a time, it might seem more manageable. Defending from the battlements against mindless foes would be a hundred, a thousand times easier than engaging them in the field. What Baek Woo-jin feared was what came after. "If a sudden crisis occurs during the siege..." Sieging mindless demons is an almost guaranteed victory—so easy it's laughable. They won't be using battering rams, nor will they scale the walls with ladders. Without their siege weaponry, claiming certain victory is not an exaggeration. However... "In 1,000 battles... or perhaps 10,000, things change." There are no eternal victors or losers in this world. Nor are there absolute victories or defeats. Even the victorious suffer losses, and the defeated reap some benefits; that's the nature of war. Moreover, while demons can't use siege weapons, they are far tougher and more agile than humans. And that's not all, is it? Some possess bizarre abilities, like extending their limbs or exploding their bodies when cornered, confounding humans with their grotesque antics. When such situations accumulate, a distant defeat swiftly closes in. Defense is inherently more advantageous than offense, yet it feels less reassuring for these reasons. A single defeat after 999 victories can topple the tower of triumph built from past victories in an instant. Thus, maintaining the current frontline without retreat is preferable, if possible. Fortunately, it seemed the two commanders of the Orthodox-Sects Alliance shared his perspective. Beneath the report, it stated that reinforcements were being prepared to prevent such a scenario through the alliance. "If reinforcements arrive, we can hold the line for now." Perhaps, for the time being, he didn't need to worry about this front. He was about to turn the page of the report, feeling a touch of relief. "Lord Baek!" Outside a paper sliding door, Jegal Yeonji's urgent voice penetrated the threshold. "Excuse me for a moment!" The door was soon flung open. Rushing into the office, she caught her breath before speaking with a pale expression. "Something terrible has happened." "A disaster, you say?" A sudden disaster? What on earth could have prompted her urgent visit? Curious, Baek Woo-jin listened to her explanation. "A murder has occurred within the alliance." Baek Woo-jin frowned. A murder, here? Which brazen fool dared to commit murder in a place teeming with the heavyweights of both the orthodox and unorthodox factions? "The victim?" "The head of the Baekikdan." "Baekikdan..." Baekikdan (白翼團). One of the newly formed armed groups since the establishment of the alliance. It consisted of over a hundred elite orthodox warriors. This made it even more bewildering. They had gained fame through significant achievements in the previous war against the Blood Cult. For one of their leaders, whose martial arts prowess would be substantial, to be killed, who could have done such a thing? And there was another concern. "Baekikdan..." He'd seen their name in the report earlier. "They’re the reinforcements preparing to be dispatched to Cheonghaeseong." Jegal Yeonji nodded gravely. "Yes... that's why things have escalated." Their leader was murdered right as the armed group was preparing for deployment. Meaning it was now problematic to send them as reinforcements promptly. A headache ensued. "A murder at this crucial moment..." Wasn't it remarkably inconvenient? So he asked. "The culprit?" "Th-the thing is…" Jegal Yeonji hesitated, visibly troubled, before finally speaking. "The head of Heukikdan… was caught red-handed." "……." Heukikdan, alongside Baekikdan, were the twin wings of the alliance. While Baekikdan was composed of elite orthodox members, Heukikdan was made up of elite members from the unorthodox side. They trained in rivalry, accruing accomplishments, considered exemplary models of well-coordinated groups within the alliance, and now they stood as perpetrator and victim against one another. Jegal Yeonji continued. "And what do we do? Heukikdan was also preparing to support Cheonghaeseong…" This was the crux of the issue. Baekikdan and Heukikdan, both meant to be reinforcements for the beleaguered Cheonghaeseong, were now embroiled in calamity with one as perpetrator and the other as victim, complicating imminent deployment. 'This isn't a problem to solve by sitting around.' Determined, Baek Woo-jin rose from his seat. "...Let's inspect the scene first." And so, Baek Woo-jin took direct action to resolve the incident. --- Author's Note (Afterword) I apologize to my readers. I was supposed to update on Sunday, but due to some confusion and mistakes, there was a delay. During the rush to visit relatives in the countryside, I thought about scheduling the upload, but... I only thought about it and forgot to actually do it, then mistakenly believed I had done it and left;; I’ve just arrived home and hurriedly turned on the computer to upload the chapter... I’ll make sure to be more diligent to ensure this doesn’t happen again. I’ll see you in the next chapter. Thank you, as always, for reading. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)