Ep469 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

On the Earth where Baek Woo-jin was born and raised, there exists a world-renowned comic. A comic that depicts the chronicles of pirates embarking on adventures across the vast seas. The beginning of that comic is similar to the situation now. A supreme pirate who sought the greatest treasure finally stood on the execution platform, uttering a single line. "Go and find it, for I have left everything of this world there!" The words of a man facing death stirred an era. Those who harbored dreams of might and power went to the sea, creating an era different from before. And here. Undoubtedly, Dan Mok-gyeong also desired such greatness. Perhaps he wished to plunge the entirety of the central martial world into the whirlpool of chaos with his life alone. However, he faced a substantial obstacle that the legendary pirate in the comic did not have. "We are!" "One!" "Who is our main enemy?!" "The Demonic Cult!" Grasping the back of his neck, a man rapidly fills the fractures drawn with momentum. Baek Woo-jin. A master of warfare who does not hesitate to undertake somewhat villainous deeds to achieve his goals. A man who, having rolled and tumbled for ten years, became immune to most strategies. "The Demonic Cult!" Dan Mok-gyeong was sacrificed to him. A life that was meant to split the alliance in half. "Let's defeat them!" Uowaahhh—! Instead, it became a force that united even a tiny dot into a cohesive unit. And all that glory belonged to Baek Woo-jin. "Long live the Radiant Sword Saint!" "Long live the great hero Baek Woo-jin!" Both the righteous faction and the unorthodox. The name everyone shouted soared high as a pillar of the martial world. It cast a dark cloud over the Demonic Cult, which was supposed to aim for the central plains. "Ugh…!" Dan Mok-gyeong spewed a mouthful of blood. His danjeon, which held the energy cultivated over a lifetime, was shattered? No. "It’s… frustrating…!" He was infuriated. So furious that he vomited blood in anger and regret. A distant past recollection surfaced, the words once uttered by Zhuge Liang as he coughed up blood: "Why did Heaven create me and then birth that vile man?!" Born into a family known to rival the Zhuge clan in strategy and intellect. Yet failing to overcome him in both strength and wisdom was deeply humiliating and devastating. "Tch, tch, tch!" And how demonic his laughter was! "Thud!" Vomiting blood once more, he was thrown into the underground dungeon. Three days later, he was executed, his head displayed in front of the main gate where members of the alliance came and went. "Never forget the humiliation we endured for several days due to that vile Demonic Cult member!" Martial artists passing in and out of the alliance would look up at Dan Mok-gyeong’s head with a resentful expression, steeling their hearts. "Let us not forget." "Our main enemy is the Demonic Cult!" This was the moment when the alliance, which had been working reluctantly, finally became truly unified. After that, the efficiency of handling matters within the alliance precisely doubled. Both the righteous faction and the unorthodox ones. Issues usually dealt with twice could now be resolved in a single approach. The first task undertaken by the now organized alliance was a dispatch to Qinghai Province. The Baek Wing and the Black Wing were reorganized into one unit. Named the Twin Wing Brigade. With new uniforms masterfully weaving black and white, and a single leader established, they advanced towards Qinghai Province with unified will and determination. Baek Woo-jin firmly believed that their presence would restore stability to Qinghai Province. For they were those who had found new directions to point their swords and allies to entrust their backs. Having released one worry from his mind, Baek Woo-jin's next concern was nothing other than himself. "What should I do?" For himself, and for his comrades, what direction should they take? Everyone began to move busily. The long-dormant Demonic Cult attempted to disband the alliance through spies. The implication of this was clear. The Demonic Cult’s resurgence. Those curled up inside the Mountain of Ten Thousand Peaks were finally beginning to stir. The short peace that had connected them had now come to an end. What remained was war. A war more extreme and sorrowful than any ever faced before, including the blood church conflict. The only option was to prepare. "If only we could discern their intentions…" He could sense it. The day of finally clashing with them wasn't too far away. Yet, there still wasn’t any noticeable movement. Or perhaps they were deliberately avoiding detection. Thus, finding the right path to advance seemed impossible. Making a hasty move could lead to a disaster greater than anything if events unfolded on the opposite side. "Hmm." A heavy feeling lingered in his chest, making Baek Woo-jin uneasy. Even the liberation he sought through continuous drinking was elusive, prompting him to step out of his chamber. Perhaps under the bright moon, he could breathe a little easier. Gulp, gulp…! "Ahh!" The sensation of wandering under the moonlight, clutching a bottle of liquor like a carefree soul, was surprisingly pleasant. "No matter how much I drink, I never get tired of this." The taste of the liquor felt particularly unique, and the breath seeping through his nostrils felt a tad cooler. But that was all. Neither the distinctive taste nor the refreshing air could ease the knot in his heart. Still, it felt a bit better than staying inside, so he decided to walk a bit more. Then he encountered another night wanderer. "Oh." "Hero... no, Young Master...?" It was Seol Su-yeon, who still seemed comfortable with addressing him as a hero. She sat on the high roof of a pavilion, looking up at the sky. "What are you doing at this hour?" Leaping lightly onto the roof beside her, he asked, and she pointed to the sky. "I was watching the stars." Her eyes, gazing at the slowly moving stars, shone with curious fascination. It wasn’t just because they were beautiful. Noticing his interest, she elaborated. "Do you know what's the most fascinating thing in this world?" "What is it?" "Reading the stars." Even in the world she hailed from, there were those who divined fortune and fate through the stars. However, the depth of that study was not particularly deep. Only a very select few mastered it, and most of the knowledge was passed down orally. "In the martial world, only a few study it too, but that's where the similarity ends." In the martial world, those who read the stars were few, but their legacy was recorded in books, allowing those who learned from it to delve into far greater knowledge than in her previous world. She, too, born anew on this land, was among those people. "I tried reading the flow of stars after a long time, and it seems something significant is about to happen." Baek Woo-jin's face hardened. "Something significant?" Seol Su-yeon quickly waved her hands dismissively. "It's not necessarily a problem." "Oh." His reaction must have been overly sensitive. Feeling more at ease, he asked again. "Then what do you mean by something significant, Miss Seol?" She pointed to the brightest object in the night sky with her finger and responded. "The moon is going to swallow the sun." "Huh...?" Initially puzzled by her words, it didn’t take him long to understand what she was implying. "Are you talking about a solar eclipse?" "Yes, exactly." A solar eclipse. Simply put, it's the phenomenon where the sun is obscured by the moon. The Earth orbits the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth. When the sun, the moon, and the Earth are aligned in a straight line, this phenomenon occurs. 'Hmm..., that's the extent of my knowledge.' He remembered hearing various things about it in school, but this was all he could recall. He wasn't particularly studious, and science was his second least favorite subject after math. What he remembered about solar eclipses was only because the phenomena shown in class were quite marvelous. "A solar eclipse is considered... an unfavorable event." Though Baek Woo-jin, educated in the future, thought differently, people of this era regarded a solar eclipse as an ominous sign. This wasn’t surprising, as the sun was seen as a positive symbol in most cultures. When such a sun momentarily turned black, as if devoured by the moon, and darkness followed its transformation, people often saw it as a foreboding omen. Some claimed a dark being had consumed the sun. Others said it opened a passage for ominous entities to cross into the world. "...It's going to be chaotic." "Most likely." When a solar eclipse occurs, many will be struck with fear. The imperial court will proclaim it a bad omen, and various misfortunes will run rampant for a while. Then, as the sun rises again, they will quickly forget it all, celebrating in elation. "Do you know when the solar eclipse will happen?" "Hmm... I’m not sure of the exact time, but definitely within a hundred days." "A hundred days, you say." Suddenly, he had a thought. A solar eclipse is considered an ominous sign. Could there be a better day for the Demonic Cult to attack the central plains? If they appeared when everyone's anxiety was at its peak? Some might lose their lives without putting up proper resistance. And others might surrender their fate, believing it to be a predestined misfortune. "Hold on a second..." As his thoughts continued, the scenes in his mind grew more detailed. What started as a half-joking thought began to feel strangely plausible. 'Could it really happen?' What if the spy incident that shook the alliance was just preparation for this? If they had already sown chaos from within, planning to strike the central plains during the solar eclipse... 'No, no.' It's all just his imagination. There's no proof or hint that the Demonic Cult would do that. However. 'That doesn't mean we can just stand by idly.' The scenes in his mind are vivid. In each scene, blood flows. The enemy's blood. And far more of their allies' blood. "Solar eclipse..." The unknown sense of foreboding entwined with the word kept making his heart race. --- **Author's Note:** I apologize for not updating yesterday... Every summer, it seems I come down with a stomach bug or gastritis, and just when I thought I’d escaped it this year, it caught me. Perhaps eating eel after avoiding greasy foods for my health recently had something to do with it. Having serialized this story for over a year and a half now, there are times when my condition isn't great or the writing doesn’t flow. In those moments, I try to continue the serialization, often posting updates late into the night. With these recurring weekly issues, it seems the time has come to make a decision. Perhaps introducing a regular break day once a week is needed. Of course, this isn’t set in stone yet, just something I’m considering. If I make a final decision, I will notify everyone properly through an announcement. Any missed updates due to breaks will be compensated soon, either through additional updates or expanding the length of each part. I'll see you in the next chapter. Thank you for reading as always. Have a restful night. (_ _)