Ep483 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

In this world, there is no such thing as perfect chance. Thus, Baek Woo-jin accepted her proposal. He believed that there must be a reason behind her suggestion when he himself was struggling to find a clear direction. Following behind the Blood Demon Witch, who seemed to soar through the sky with her masterful martial arts, Baek Woo-jin pondered over her. 'Baek Yoo-seong.' Two hundred years ago, he appeared leading the Hyuncheon sect and saved the Central Plains from crisis. He was called the unparalleled hero of his time for defeating the heavenly demon, and his name is always mentioned when discussing the greatest of all time. He was one of the few individuals respected by both the righteous and adversarial sects. And. 'A figure from the past who shares my surname and resembles me almost identically.' He shared not only the surname but also the uncanny resemblance that even fooled the Blood Demon Witch. Initially, he thought Baek Yoo-seong might be an ancestor of the Baek family in Shanxi, but that wasn't the case. This information was confirmed after directly contacting the Shanxi Baek family. When asked if Baek Yoo-seong was an ancestor of their family, the answer was no. This only deepened his curiosity. Was it possible to bear such a striking resemblance to someone who wasn't even an ancestor? Certainly, this suspicion played a part in Baek Woo-jin's decision to seek out his hiding place. With their supreme martial arts, they traversed the air and arrived at the border separating Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai. More precisely, it was a barren wasteland between those areas where nothing existed. A land unsuitable for farming or habitation, abandoned and uncared for by anyone. “This is the place.” The Blood Demon Witch claimed that Baek Yoo-seong's hideout was concealed in that desolate land. Curiosity piqued him. “May I ask something?” “What is it?” “What… what kind of relationship did you have with Baek Yoo-seong?” As soon as the question left his mouth, the Blood Demon Witch's eyes narrowed sharply. “…We had no relationship.” "I see." While her response was curt, it was hard to believe completely. A hideout is, by definition, a personal sanctuary or refuge known to no one else. Were they really nothing to each other if she knew of such a place? ‘There’s room for a bit of doubt here, isn’t there?’ Of course, Baek Woo-jin wasn’t one to obsess over a woman's past. Even if she had been involved with someone like Baek Yoo-seong, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to harbor jealousy, obsess, or let his emotions spiral over a long-dead relationship. “So, you really weren’t anything to each other…” Perhaps. “You were close enough to know about the hideout, but you weren’t anything to each other… I see.” Annoyed by his murmurs as he plodded behind her, she halted, turned, and grasped Baek Woo-jin's face with both hands. “I said, there was nothing between us.” “…Who’s saying anything?” Baek Woo-jin replied sullenly, his lips pouting, causing the Blood Demon Witch to smile bittersweetly. Normally, his maturity seemed beyond his years, but why did he only act his age at times like this? It was amusing yet delightful. At moments like these, his playful approach felt sincerely genuine. Therefore, she didn’t want any misunderstandings to linger. “The relationship you’re thinking of was certainly not the case.” “…Then what was it?” “Well, I wonder.” Even for her, it was a puzzling matter. If she had to encapsulate their relationship in one word, what would it be? After a moment of contemplation, she rolled a word around in her mind before speaking it aloud. “If I had to express it, I'd say… sworn rivals would be fitting.” “Sworn rivals?” “He constantly interfered with me. Whenever I sought revenge and tried to kill, he'd insist I shouldn’t, causing much annoyance. If we count the times we clashed, it’d surely number in the hundreds.” In many ways, he was a bane to her. The greatest obstacle preventing her revenge from fully coming to fruition. At the time, it infuriated her. An opponent she couldn’t shake off due to his overwhelming prowess was infuriatingly bothersome. “And it was he who orchestrated my slumber that lasted until these present two hundred years.” That was another fact she knew well. Because of this, Baek Woo-jin was often mistaken for Baek Yoo-seong and had nearly departed this world prematurely. “To someone like me, with no friends, family, or partner, he would say these things. That once I opened my eyes, I would find friends, family…, and.” Blushing, she averted her gaze slightly before continuing. “And perhaps even a lover.” “Hmm.” Baek Woo-jin's face flushed slightly in response. Seeing his reaction, she released the hands that had been gripping his cheeks tightly and turned away. “A-anyway… don't jump to the wrong conclusion.” Embarrassed, the Blood Demon Witch strode ahead in an attempt to conceal her reddening face. Watching her from behind with a contented smile, Baek Woo-jin was soon lost in thought. "If you close your eyes and open them again, you'll have friends, family, and a lover…." The more he contemplated this story, the more questions it raised. Why did Baek Yoo-seong put her to sleep for such a long time, two hundred years? How could he be certain that she would have friends, family, or a lover in the world two hundred years later? To Baek Woo-jin, it seemed as if everything was planned out deliberately. Planned so that she would have someone by her side and to aid him in the future, two centuries later. Yet for that to be true, there was an enormous hurdle to overcome. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean Baek Yoo-seong knew about the future?" Otherwise, why else would he leave behind arrangements meant for two hundred years later? It was a hard claim to accept. Unless he had experienced something akin to a regression, possession, or reincarnation, similar to what people in novels call "hoehinwhan" — a return, possession, or rebirth. "……?" Yes, that explanation tied everything together. If he had indeed experienced one of those phenomena — regression, possession, or reincarnation. It's not an entirely impossible theory. After all, this is a world akin to a novel, and Baek Woo-jin himself is someone who possessed another's life. Adding a regressor, reincarnator, or another possessor wouldn't drastically alter matters. Still, everything remained uncertain for the time being. That's why entering his hideout was essential. If Baek Yoo-seong truly experienced regression, possession, reincarnation, or something akin to it. "He surely would have left something behind." Whether to prepare for future events or explain the circumstances he was in. Certainly, he must have left something. They walked for half a measure through the duststorms that blinded the barren wasteland. The Blood Demon Witch halted in front of a rock that looked twice her size. “This is the place.” Saying so, she wrapped her fist in powerful energy and struck the rock with all her might. Boom! While Baek Woo-jin stood there bewildered, trying to understand the situation, the rock vanished without a trace, revealing a roughly carved stone staircase beneath. He was taken aback. “…You just hid a pathway under a rock without any kind of mechanism or formation?” A rather sloppy tactic. To this, the Blood Demon Witch recounted from her past memories to answer his inquiry. "He spoke with confidence. Said this was enough." "……." Confidence in just using a rock. Though nothing was confirmed yet, his heart leaned toward belief. “Let's see if it was truly sufficient, as he said.” Following the crude stone steps downward, the Blood Demon Witch and Baek Woo-jin descended. After walking down about a dozen steps, the stairs finally ended, revealing a long corridor. A smoothly carved, rectangular corridor. Running his hand along the wall, Baek Woo-jin realized something. “…It was carved with a single stroke of the sword.” Left, right, up, down. It seemed the corridor was crafted by creating four smooth walls with just four slashes. Despite the passage of time, the perfectly preserved smooth surfaces sent shivers down his spine. "If we're talking swordsmanship alone, he might surpass me." His pride in his swordsmanship wavered in the face of this evident skill. After traversing the elongated corridor, they arrived at a large space. The term ‘hideout’ seemed genuine, as thick walls divided separate areas within. One section was a sleeping chamber, another a library, and yet another a storage room. Despite the dust and signs of age from two hundred years of neglect, with some cleaning and maintenance, the place seemed quite livable. As they explored the area, she spoke with a troubled expression. "I thought to bring you here when this place crossed my mind, but honestly, I don’t know if there’s anything here that will be of use to you…." Worried about potentially wasting significant time, Baek Woo-jin reassured her with a confident tone. “There's definitely something here. Don’t worry, sister.” His words brought a faint smile to her face. “I hope so. Look around anywhere you can. I’ll also search for something that might help you.” “Alright.” Watching her head in one direction, Baek Woo-jin also began his exploration. He set his sights on the library. The shelves spacious enough to house dozens of books held only a few texts. Among them were martial arts books that followed a distinctly different system from the present. It seemed Baek Yoo-seong had authored these to correct the flawed systems of his time. And then there were… “Why was a bowl of steamed rice on servant Dolsoe’s breakfast table the next morning…?” An illustrated book filled with lurid drawings — an erotic novel. The place truly seemed like a well-prepared hideout. "This one doesn't seem to be it, and neither does this…." As Baek Woo-jin sifted through the books one by one, his hand finally landed on the last book on the shelf. Its aged cover bore no name or title. Sensing something unusual, Baek Woo-jin cautiously reached out and opened the first page. Inside, it read: "Fuck, this shit is screwed up." In Korean, no less. "I complained about a boring book I borrowed from a bookstore, and I got sucked into its world." "Uh, well." It appeared the third-rate writer who dragged him into this world wasn't new to this; they seemed to be a repeat offender. **Author's Note** I'll see you in the next episode. Thank you always for reading. Have a restful night. (_ _)