Ep495 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

Every time their swords clashed, a colossal shockwave swept through the surrounding area. In the midst of this raging storm, a man and woman danced among falling plum blossoms. It was as if they were part of a grand performance. Their swordplay was fierce and threatening, each aimed to sever a life with a single stroke. Yet, there was an inexplicable beauty in the scene unfolding before them. BOOM! Another clash reverberated through the Mount Hua Sect, and the sect master, Juwon, was in awe. "Is this truly a battle between humans?" Having lived through numerous battles in the martial world, Juwon had encountered many formidable foes, including the Triumvirate and the Emperor. Their duels were so epic that the phrase "earth-shattering" felt like an understatement. He'd once thought he was certain—he would never witness a fight surpassing those in his lifetime. But that certainty was shattered today. BAM! "Ugh…!" The distant shock overwhelmed him, causing his entire body to tremble. It felt as if his very soul was being twisted and torn. There was something in their battle that was absent in the Triumvirate and the Emperor—the current strongest in the martial world. What, indeed, could it be? "...Brother, can we intervene in their fight?" he asked without confidence. Tack Ilwoo, one of the elders of the Mount Hua Sect, replied, "It's certainly possible to intervene if desired... But I'm unsure if it would be of any help." He was right. Anyone could leap into their battle if inclined, but would it benefit Baek Woojin? That was a question impossible to answer with certainty. Yet, one thing was clear. "...The fate of our sect will be determined today." Should they join the fight, countless disciples of Mount Hua Sect would perish. They were the foundation, the roots of the sect. The outcome of this battle would decide the future, without a doubt. In the silence that followed as everyone held their breath and watched, Baek Woojin and his opponent spoke. "The swordsmanship has changed greatly, yet the habits remain," one remarked. "The same goes for you," the other replied. The two knew each other extremely well. Having observed each other for over a decade, they had seen the sorrows, joys, and especially the times when swords were drawn. They were unparalleled sparring partners for one another, dueling over 3,000 times by estimation. Each knew how the other had grown and their habits—exploiting these weaknesses with attacks and countering them with defense. BOOM! CLANG! CLASH! As anticipated, they parried, defended, and counter-attacked within moments. The Heavenly Demon, having exchanged a dozen blows in an instant, curled one side of their mouth in praise. "You've grown stronger. Much more than when I last saw you." "Only to stop you." "And is that why you think you can stop me now?" Baek Woojin waved dismissively at the incredulous smile on her face. He remained aware of his inadequacies—felt even before the fight began, and now confirmed with clashing swords. 'Claiming I'm only a step behind would be unrealistic.' Not fighting with full strength meant their gap was not apparent. Yet, the difference ranged from at least two moves to as much as five or more. Winning against her here would be as much a miracle as closing this gap. 'Just a bit more time would have been perfect.' Even being this close was by grace. The disparity as vast as the earth and sky had been narrowed so much that it revealed itself. Hence, it was regrettable. 'One more year... No, just half a year more.' If he'd had that, victory over her wouldn't seem so much like a miracle. While exchanging blades, he lamented this lost time. "Shall we get serious now?" she suggested, smiling. "……." Stepping back, she pushed against Baek Woojin's sword. The ground beneath her feet darkened, the earth blackened, dry foliage, broken buildings, and ruins crushed beneath their weight. In the black night sky, a red moon rose. Baek Woojin's eyes widened to near tearing at the sight. "This is…." The Heavenly Demon smiled with delight at this display. "This current mental landscape is also familiar to you, isn't it?" Her mental image, adorning the original world of plum trees with darkness, was another world in itself. Baek Woojin and the Heavenly Demon—a landscape deeply familiar to them from their adventures alongside their companions, including the saintess. After a fierce battle, he had finally rescued her from the brink of disaster. And they left behind the world, once so precious to them, in a bid to protect each other’s hearts. Naturally, this was not the world brimming with beauty after the threats had been extinguished. It was a world thoroughly devastated and annihilated by the Demon King. This was her current mental scape and how she viewed the world. "Isn't it despairing?" asked the Heavenly Demon, her voice overtly excited. Indeed, it was. A realm so pervaded by despair that hope couldn't be found in its corners, driving one potentially to suicide rather than enduring such existence. Such a world. "I am like that now," she confessed. Her once icy gaze pierced like a dagger through Baek Woojin's chest. "When I realized you were gone, my world collapsed. The world you, I, and our companions sacrificed so much to save from the Demon King... lost its light from my perspective." Her original mental scape was vibrant and hopeful. So radiant that being within it made one believe any darkness could be pierced and that a glorious sun could cast away any stormy clouds lingering over the future. "Do you really think what you did was right?" He recalled that time—when he decided to leave, feeling wounded by her disdainful gaze. Before leaving, the goddess had offered him one wish, saying it wasn’t enough to simply return and erase the merits he’d gained there. Back then, his mind was blank. He only wished to escape from the painful truth of being despised by the woman who first taught him love. Then, a thought emerged—to the moment he knelt and begged her. Baek Woojin asked, what would it take for you to forgive me? Her response, delivered with a frigid smile, was to resurrect the original owner of the body he had taken over, the same childhood friend of hers. It was at that moment he made a decision. To use his wish for her. So, he wished. "For real…, did I truly believe my life would return to normal if I revived him?" He asked the goddess to return the soul of the body’s original owner once he was gone, knowing his body would become just an empty shell. The goddess, though hesitant, eventually agreed to fulfill his wish. At that moment, he thought that should suffice. That she would regain happiness once her childhood friend was revived and they lived together again. With a hardened face, Baek Woojin retorted to her accusations. "It was what you wanted." "No, you were mistaken." After Baek Woojin departed, another man returned. Her childhood friend, who had died in an accident and had given his body to Baek Woojin. He returned to stay by her side. Initially, that seemed enough. Despite some awkwardness, she believed they could soon return to the closeness they once shared. But no, it was not. "The more I stayed with him, the more I longed for you." The time spent thinking about the one who had left grew longer every day. She constantly found herself comparing her childhood friend to him. Whether they were dining, sparring, or going out. 'If it were him…' She kept making these comparisons, aching for the familiarity that had become so deeply ingrained in her. Eventually, she stopped seeing her childhood friend. In fact, she avoided meeting anyone in the world. "For ten long years, you infiltrated my life to the point that everything reminded me of you, seeping into every corner and leaving me yearning for you." When she felt herself sinking deeper into despair at the thought of him, He appeared, promising to take her to Baek Woojin’s world with what seemed an outrageous offer. "I wondered endlessly—where did things go wrong between us?" And she found an answer for herself. "In that intense moment, we failed to understand each other deeply." Neither truly understood the other's heart during pivotal moments—like her genuine plea to resurrect someone already lost, or his desperate, tearful entreaties to rekindle her heart. Neither truly knew the other, and awkwardly, in thinking of each other, they even failed to deeply understand their own hearts. "So, I came here." Leaving behind eternal glory and power. "To see you." All for one person. "To cut apart the hopelessly tangled thread… and start anew." Unable to pinpoint when things went wrong, what else could they do? But sever it completely. "And build again." It was too late. Her love for him had twisted into an overwhelming hatred. He likely felt the same. She had spent too many years pouring out her emotions and swallowing her sorrow to ever love him again. No matter how they tried to start anew, it could never be the same as it was. "I will kill you," she declared. She intended to pierce his heart, filling it with all the hatred she harbored within. So. "Draw your sword." Fight till the very end. --- Author's Note: I apologize for the inconsistent updates. The sudden chill in the weather caught me off guard, and I’ve come down with a cold. Aside from a slight cough and feeling a bit under the weather, I thought I was fine. But when I woke up after some rest, my head was spinning... I took some medicine, dragged out my thick winter blanket, and sweat through it all night. I then got up at dawn to write until now... As the novel approaches its climax, I’m carefully crafting each word, though my current condition is making this quite challenging. I’ll muster up more strength, so I ask for your understanding, dear readers. I look forward to seeing you in the next chapter. Thank you, as always, for reading. Have a wonderful day. (_ _)