Ep503 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

A scar etched through ten thousand sword strikes, each roughly the length of a hand. Beside it, another scar engraved with nine thousand strokes, extending the length of a forearm. Next to that is a scar shaped with seven thousand cuts, stretching the length of an arm. But that wasn't the end of it. The entire dark space around him was filled with such scars. Unquestionably, all these marks resulted from Baek Woojin's rigorous training. “I think I'm starting to understand.” He had been extending the length while reducing the number of strikes for the thousandth time. A sense of satisfaction was evident in Baek Woojin’s eyes as he gazed at the most recent, thin, and long scar. Just three sword strikes. The resulting scar was so long, it could encompass his entire body from head to toe. What does this mean? “It’s nearly complete... No, it won’t be long before I comprehend it.” To claim it as finished would be premature. However, he felt he was finally nearing an understanding of the ‘Absolute’ left by Baek Yoosung. “How much time has passed?” In a space engulfed in darkness, the passage of time was impossible to sense. Yet, recalling the number of sword strikes delivered so far, he surmised that about half a year might have passed in this space. Time within the mindscape flows significantly faster than reality. This means that even if half a year has passed in the mindscape, much less time has elapsed in the real world. “Perhaps ten days... no, two weeks.” Though it didn’t seem very long, it was a substantial duration nonetheless. How anxious must those watching over a fallen man, struck down by an enemy’s blade, feel, not knowing when he’ll awaken? With these thoughts causing his nerves to fray, he also had to consider the Heavenly Demon. “The altar must have been destroyed by now.” Whether ten days or fifteen. It was more than ample time for her to achieve what she desired. Hence, it was reasonable to assume that the altar had been thoroughly demolished. “I really should get up soon.” Worry loomed ahead. After demolishing the altars, she would advance toward Mount Kunlun. For there, hidden in the skies, lay the final altar: the Dragon King's Altar. There was only one last chance to stop her. If he didn’t wake up in time, the world would crumble before he could even utilize what he learned. “A day… no, just one more day.” Baek Woojin forced his exhausted body upright and grasped the sword once more. His senses were sharper than ever, and he was gradually understanding how to channel them into the sword. Though difficult, with just a day or so, he could firmly grasp the clue needed to escape this place. “Let’s begin again…!” Just as he intended to continue training without pause until then. Crack. “……” A foreboding sound resonated in his ears. It wasn’t hard to locate the source of the sound. One among the countless scars Baek Woojin had etched into the black space. Crack! The scar elongated and expanded with every sound, spreading out in all directions like a cobweb, interlinking with other scars, initiating new fissures that spread elsewhere. Crack! Crack! “Uh, um...” Suddenly, the cracks enveloped the entire black space around Baek Woojin, plunging the situation into peril. And finally. Crash! With a resonant sound, black space fragments shattered and cascaded down like a rain of shooting stars over Baek Woojin’s head. Despite wielding his sword to fend them off. “...Where’d it go?” The tangible sensation of the sword in his grip was absent. The sword held in this space had been a figment of the mindscape, a seemingly real illusion responding to his will. Its disappearance signaled the end of this artificial realm. “Oh… damn.” As he despaired, the falling fragments closed in on Baek Woojin. Thunk! With a dull thud, his vision flipped into darkness. Simultaneously, his submerged consciousness shot rapidly above the surface. Finally, his eyes opened. Baek Woojin, feeling the vivid impact he had just experienced in his mind, awakened in a tranquil room instead of the dark space, exclaiming. "Ah, damn it, a dream!" So it was. * * * With an outburst that spoke volumes about the shock and surprise, Baek Woojin was forcibly brought back to consciousness. The first sight he was met with was the crowd of women rushing toward him. “It’s such a relief, truly…!” Women crying with relief, continuously expressing gratitude that he woke up safely and unharmed. For a brief moment, Baek Woojin basked in the sensational textures and fragrances, grinning as he turned his head from side to side. Once the intense emotions of the reunion faded away. “Come to think of it, isn’t it a bit infuriating?” “Yes, indeed. Especially after he promised us he wouldn’t get hurt.” “We repeatedly warned him to stop doing dangerous things.” “And of course, he didn’t listen at all.” Hold on a moment. Before Baek Woojin could utter a word of explanation. “Shall we teach him a lesson?” The women turned into devils. “Eeeek!” He experienced a scent of death even more vivid than when he was stabbed by the Heavenly Demon’s blade. Once he confirmed that his collapse had restored their fluctuating emotions, he asked. “What’s the situation?” Upon hearing his question, the women all turned their heads awkwardly, as if they were caught off guard. At that moment, Baek Woojin had an instinctual realization. While he was unconscious, something unfavorable had indeed transpired. He didn’t press for details. He simply waited for them to be ready to tell him. Eventually, Dang Sunyoung stepped forward as their representative and spoke. “The Alliance Leader… has fallen.” The defeat of a thousand elite warriors who formed a resolute squad to block the path of the Heavenly Demon heading to Songshan. The leaders of the martial alliance and the Fiery Immortal had sacrificed themselves upon realizing their miscalculations. He was momentarily stunned into silence by the unexpected failure and sacrifice. “I’ll be back shortly.” Baek Woojin, speaking with a determined face, quietly rose and stepped out of the room. Though his heart yearned to visit the alliance headquarters and pay his respects. Reality rendered this impossible. With all the altars destroyed, he couldn’t predict when the Heavenly Demon might assault Mount Kunlun. ‘Alliance Leader.’ The one who assisted him, along with Doh Gong. While Doh Gong was a clear familial tie, Hyunhak had no such connection. He offered his unwavering support without expecting anything in return, solely for the peace of the martial world. This understanding made Baek Woojin’s heart ache even more. ‘Why do the good ones leave so soon…?’ All the good people he knew seemed to vanish quickly from his life. Like a breeze that sweeps in unexpectedly, offers a moment of comfort, and then swiftly passes by. Perhaps they had to give their warmth to too many others to stay by his side for long. Or maybe, in their endeavor to save others, they neglected themselves, leading to their hollow departures. Whichever it was, the sorrow was the same. “…If only I had been there.” Regret suddenly washed over him. Had he not spent his time unconscious. Then, he smiled wryly. “Yet, nothing might have changed.” One shared trait among the virtuous individuals. Each of them had an ironclad determination to see their beliefs through. Even if he hadn’t fallen, it might not have altered anything. No matter how one tried to dissuade them, they wouldn’t have tolerated the Heavenly Demon freely strolling into the Shaolin Temple, the foremost among the Nine Schools. For that is the way of the righteous. Old-fashioned and outmoded, yet it’s their relentless adherence to these principles that sustained them. A sigh slipped from Baek Woojin’s lips as he climbed the mountain with weary steps. “Even the second time around, it’s just as tough…” Indeed, it was so. One would think he'd have adapted after rolling through another world for about ten years. Yet, such was not the case. Proficient in some matters, while painfully awkward and naïve in others. Perhaps striving to master every aspect of life is an overreach. “……” Upon reaching the peak, he silently gazed down the mountain. Was it due to his awakened sense of space? He could feel tumultuous energies from afar. Filthy and vile energies. A depraved demonic aura, tainted with corrupted desires added to the pure energy pursued by the Heavenly Demon. This tumultuous aura, far away, surged toward him. Even the pure demonic energy between them was looking this way. And then he realized. Just as he could sense her distant energy, she could also sense his location regardless of where he was. “For goodness' sake.” It wasn’t as though they were voyeurs. In any case. Her retreat to the Ten Thousand Devil Mountains after destroying all the altars signified the end of her solo endeavors. It was a declaration of her intent to lead all the demonic cultists, driven by ambition and murder, to storm Mount Kunlun. Still unsure of what exactly she wanted. But one thing was clear. If she fulfilled her objective, the world’s continuity would be impossible. The time of the upcoming solar eclipse draws near. That will indeed mark the culmination of this long journey. Author's Note: I will see you in the next installment. Thank you, as always, for reading. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)