Ep464 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

There is a monstrous creature. It was declared confidently that he would capture this beast. Baek Woo-jin's first emotion upon leaving the conference room was a sense of being overwhelmed. “I said I would catch it...” Honestly, he was unsure if this so-called monster actually existed. It felt like it should exist, yet there was nothing tangible to grasp onto. Thus, his first task was to confirm the existence of this creature. So, how does one prove the existence of the culprit? The most reliable method would be: ‘I need to figure out what method it used.’ He must prove that something, neither poison nor sorcery, interfered in their actions. Where should he begin? “Looking at the murdered bodies is meaningless…” If something intervened, it would likely have been with the perpetrator rather than the victim. This means he must investigate the bodies of those who committed the acts. The perpetrators of both the first and second incidents were executed. Their bodies discreetly relocated and buried somewhere in their homeland. Enough time has passed that their corpses must be either decayed or in the process of decaying. “In that case, what remains is….” Fortunately, he still had a sample left to examine. A live, breathing sample, no less. Baek Woo-jin headed straight to the underground prison where they were held. Martial artists from both righteous and demonic paths were detained, divided on either side of the central corridor. He shouted at them. “You have all been sentenced to the Punishment Ward.” “P-Punishment Ward…?” “Isn’t that the place where even a short stay is excruciating?” “My God…!” Cries filled with despair. Yet, there was a glimmer of hope remaining. “At least we won’t be executed, right?” “It’s tough, but if we endure, we can come back out….” They found some solace. They were not going to die. Though the Punishment Ward is harsh, it doesn’t lead directly to death. This meant if they could endure, they might continue to survive. To them, Baek Woo-jin said: “Are you pleased?” His chilling voice spread, causing them to fall silent instantly. “Nine of your comrades died because of your drunken brawl, and you’re glad you survived?” Their faces contorted with guilt. “We didn’t mean for that to happen!” “Yeah, if only those demonic bastards hadn’t provoked us…!” “Nonsense! You’re the ones who started it!” “What?!” “Am I wrong?! Pretentious righteous fools more corrupt than filth!” “What, what…! Thugs from the back alleys dare…!” Arms and legs flailed through the steel bars. Baek Woo-jin approached them and opened the door with his own hands. No. Boom-! He shattered it. The millennial steel bars crumbled instantly, making the prisoners gawk like startled rabbits. “Aren’t you going to fight?” “N-No, we won’t fight.” When given the opportunity, they immediately vowed not to fight. Observing them unite after their fear took hold, Baek Woo-jin commanded: “From the moment you entered the tavern till the end of the brawl, recount every detail. If you can’t remember, speak up now.” Just as a few were about to raise their hands, “I’ll help jog your memory.” he added, making them quickly lower their trembling hands. * * * After hearing their accounts, Baek Woo-jin returned to his office late at night. He sat down and began sorting through the story he had just been told. Those from the demonic faction had entered the tavern first. They were mourning the recent loss of one of their members. Naturally, this led to some harsh words about the perpetrator. Shortly after, members of the righteous faction arrived and began drinking, overhearing and countering those remarks. They disparaged the Dark Wing Leader while commemorating the deceased White Wing Leader, escalating tensions. Conversations grew louder and more intense. Eventually, it reached a point where, though they hadn’t yet started brawling, the two factions were close to fighting. “In the midst of heated words, they accidentally bumped into each other…” Interpreting it as an attack, they quickly descended into a brawl. What followed was well-known. Fists flew without mercy, and many suffered lethal blows. “Hmmm…” Baek Woo-jin focused on the moments leading up to the fight. “Accidentally bumped into each other…?” The righteous faction claimed they were slightly nudged by a swiftly passing server. Does it make sense for a martial artist to be pushed by a server who hasn't even learned a single martial technique? 'Could he be lying?' But that didn’t seem to be the case either. The man who couldn’t control his body and collided with the demonic faction, igniting the brawl, was carrying a heavy guilt. For good reason too, as if he had maintained his balance, no one might have died. But there was more than just that that was odd. It was also strange that a simple bump, caused by losing balance, was mistaken for an attack. These were people who had faced life-threatening battles numerous times. This meant they were extremely sensitive and quick to discern any intent from physical contact. Yet, they mistook an unintentional bump for an attack and retaliated. “The fight started from something so trivial.” Of course, there’s one magical ingredient that could make all these events align. Alcohol. If they were heavily intoxicated, everything would make sense. Even being pushed by a server could be seen as an attack. “However, the issue is that they weren't.” Each of them said the same thing. They hadn’t consumed much alcohol. In fact, upon checking with the tavern, it was found they hadn’t ordered much alcohol. They had gotten into an argument and focused on it before drinking much. “So, it means they fought while fully sober, with their emotions heightened.” Members of the alliance were all considered master-level practitioners outside. Could their mental fortitude be so weak? As his thoughts reached this point, Something suddenly flashed through his mind. “What if… something tampered with their emotions?” If something disrupted their strong mental states, causing them to react sensitively to minor stimuli. That explanation could fit. “Then how?” The problem is, again, how were their emotions meddled with? Baek Woo-jin began to review the murder scenes one by one. “The first was on the path to the training ground…” The fork road leading to the White Wing and Black Wing training grounds. A place where the Wing Leaders occasionally met and exchanged greetings. “The second was in the dormitory hallway.” Similarly, it was a route they both had to take to reach their lodgings. And lastly, the tavern. That place, too, was somewhere they frequently visited. The righteous and demonic paths. Both were regulars, treated to complimentary snacks by the tavernkeeper. “A typical overlap of paths…” Of course, those without any prior acquaintance would not fight upon accidentally meeting in these overlapping paths. Then why did they become so agitated on that particular day? That alone was enough to raise suspicion. “I need to investigate.” The conclusion was to thoroughly search every location where they had brawled. * * * The following morning. Baek Woo-jin immediately gathered his team and began the investigation of the incident sites. They found nothing at the first and second locations. Time had passed since the events, and with the culprits already penalized, the sites had been cleaned up. But it was too early to feel discouraged. The tavern, where the last incident occurred. That place remained preserved as it was. Because of the sheer number of culprits involved, penalties were yet undecided, causing delays. Thus, the tavern remained untouched since the incident. Of course, compensations were made to the tavernkeeper, who was content with the arrangement. “Pick up anything suspicious, no matter how small.” Their focus sharpened. They felt it personally. A crack was forming within the alliance. If the existence of the monstrous creature were revealed in this process, everything would resolve. All attention would turn to the entity that manufactured this sequence of events. ‘We must find it.’ With normally half-closed eyes now wide open, Jegal Yeon-ji scanned the ground. Simultaneously, she kept her thoughts running. ‘What could tamper with emotions like that?’ A method that could interfere with someone’s emotions and vanish without a trace. Food? No. If food were the issue, they'd have found something in the bodies from the third incident. “To sharpen emotions… to incite murderous intent… and then disappear…?” As she whispered to herself and glanced around, something caught her eye. On the wooden wall of the tavern was a peculiar, charred mark. Its shape was notably distinct. “A perfect rectangle…?” She was certain. This charred mark was an artificial imprint, not something that could result from an accident. Her thoughts continued to unfold. What if something had been attached here, and left this mark as it naturally burned away? “Could it be…?” Her eyes widened as she meticulously examined the floor near the charred wall. The chaos from the brawl had left the area in disarray. Amid that chaos lay a wooden fragment, roughly the size of a fingertip, that hadn’t completely burned. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she closed her eyes and heightened her senses. Her sharpened perception sifted through the wooden piece, probing its interior deeply. And finally. ‘Found it…!’ The lingering energy flowed subtly through the grain of the charred wood. It was so faint that it could easily be overlooked, even with focused attention. But it was undeniably the energy used to form a formation. Author’s Note I will see you in the next chapter. Thank you all for reading as always. Have a restful night. (_ _)