Ep526 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

Absurd words were pouring out in succession. "Are you really saying you’ll break the brush imbued with divine power?" Baek Woo-jin replied. "Yes." Very short and concise. This once again offended the deity. "You're quite good at speaking in a roundabout way about wishing for death." This wasn’t just any object but a power born from divine authority. Though it took the shape of a brush, it was not something that could be snapped simply by holding it with both hands. He merely found it displeasing. To have an insignificant human, no more than an ant to him, dare to speak of breaking his authority, he wanted to erase that impudent mouth completely. With rage climbing from his head, reaching the towering ceiling of the divine temple, he finally made a decision. "Kill him." Baek Woo-jin. To erase that arrogant human. He decided no longer to consider the subsequent losses from his actions. What use were dignity and authority for a god reluctant to punish an impudent human out of fear of mere losses? "Even if it means wasting thousands of years to recover my strength, I will kill him." Having made his decision, a palpable divine energy began to surge from him. Seeing this, Baek Woo-jin spoke. "How about we make a bet?" The surging aura paused at the sound of the word ‘bet.’ It interested him. Baek Woo-jin pointed at the brush, inscribing thousands upon thousands of characters without regard for the surrounding commotion. "The terms are simple. Whether I can break that brush or not." Hearing this, the deity’s lips twisted into a smirk. The intention was obvious. Upon accepting the bet, Baek Woo-jin would gain an opportunity. And until the bet concluded, the deity wouldn't be able to intervene. From this perspective, it might appear he was letting himself be toyed with by a mere human to his own detriment. "Not a bad proposition." Yet, this held true only if Baek Woo-jin successfully capitalized on that opportunity. "And what’s the wager?" Baek Woo-jin looked up at the deity seated upon the expansive throne, gazing down at him. Through their encounters and conversations, he’d gleaned much about the deity. Someone once said that humans are the creations most resembling gods. Perhaps not entirely wrong. Although near-omniscient and quasi-omnipotent, they weren't flawless. Their temperament wasn’t vastly different from humans either. Thus, he could see through the deity as well. Just as the deity saw through his intention upon mentioning the bet. He wants to kill me. Yet, contrary to his desires, he hesitates to act rashly. Which means. "You have a reason you can’t kill me." While contemplating what that reason might be, he finally found the most plausible answer. "If I fail to break the brush, I will wish for you to kill me." It was nothing other than a wish. After displaying murderous intent and then failing to contain his wrath, he had eagerly demanded a wish from Baek Woo-jin. His manner and expression suggested a desire to grant the wish and send him away quickly, but perhaps that eagerness was the obstacle preventing him from killing Baek Woo-jin. "......" Eyes filled with intrigue turned towards Baek Woo-jin. "Could he have figured it out to such an extent?" He knew Baek Woo-jin was quick on the uptake from observing his journey, but he hadn’t imagined it would be to this degree. He even briefly entertained the notion that having him around wouldn’t be a hassle. As if he would instinctively know what the deity wanted and prepare it. Of course, feeling revulsion toward Baek Woo-jin as a person was a separate matter entirely, regardless of anything else. It was indeed true he sought to kill him despite the ensuing loss, as they simply couldn’t communicate. But in the current situation, perhaps he could obtain something even more valuable than mere death. "I am no longer interested in your life. Instead, I shall demand something else." Recalling what he’d been envisioning in his mind, he continued speaking. "If you fail to break the brush, become my pawn once more." "......" He felt it. From the deity’s words and expression. Malice was overflowing. "A pawn…" Baek Woo-jin knew exactly what that meant. He understood it meant traversing the harrowing path he’d already walked twice before. Or perhaps it would be a far more barbaric journey compared to the ones prior. The swirling malice confirmed this. The deity intended to provide him with the most brutal and harshest death possible. But knowing this did not change anything. He had to break that brush. "Alright. If I fail, I'll play along on the stage you've set once more. But." Given that the path to death had become so treacherous, he would naturally have to receive something in return. "If I succeed, you must not only accept the outcome but also grant me a wish." "Agreed." It was an offer that posed no inconvenience to him. Even if Baek Woo-jin had asked for a hundred wishes, it wouldn't have mattered. After all, Baek Woo-jin’s defeat was a foregone conclusion. He spoke once more. "Exactly ten tries." "I know." The stage was finally set. All or nothing. Truly the beginning of an all-or-nothing gamble. Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Suppressing the wildly beating pulse of his heart ever so slightly, he took a deep breath. He only had ten attempts. Therefore, not a single one could be wasted. The technique he must use was predetermined. "Cut (絶)." Baek Yuseong had left it, saying, “I leave this behind for a perfect conclusion.” At first, he believed that the end referred to his final battle with the Heavenly Demon, but that wasn’t the case. As Baek Yuseong roamed the world, he realized it was something much later. "Right now." Baek Yuseong and himself. And countless others who had traversed the paths of divine flow before him. Each had reached the end of their journey, faced a god, and perhaps wished upon them. But did their lives conclude in a tightly closed happy ending? "No." The records Baek Yuseong left behind completed the story of a protagonist's ongoing saga. "An endless series of hardships." After one story ended, another ceaselessly began. Big and small events. Baek Yuseong naturally got involved, and each time, large and small scars were carved into both him and those around him. In the end, he lost his beloved wife. After that day, Baek Yuseong wandered the world, saw fragmented futures, and based on these, left arrangements in his sanctuary. "History repeats itself." What he experienced could happen to him as well. Baek Yuseong, fearing this, left this technique and a single character. Cut (絶). A continuously repeating history. Each time, the protagonist writhing in agony. To cut the still present leash around his neck and truly reclaim freedom. "My final move...!” From the left to the right. The sword flowed. Neither too fast nor too slow. The fate of a world rested on the brush and paper. Perhaps the very world itself; a crack formed where the sword passed through. Much longer and clearer than the cracks shown during the final battle with the Heavenly Demon. A completed stroke cleaved through space. Ssswhoosh! A clear sound. A definite sensation. Everything placed within the cut space had been split apart. However. Crreeeek—! The brush and paper let out a single unpleasant wail, but remained unyielding. Despite having put everything into the strike, not even the smallest mark was left on the brush. A deep sense of defeat enveloped Baek Woo-jin, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. * * * She had wielded the brush for quite some time. Not because she had a particular talent for it or wanted to. Simply because it was the mission given to her, and she sought to fulfill it. Thus, when that mission ended, she no longer held the brush. Much had changed during that time. The woman who followed the man she adored across dimensions finally became his wife, receiving a bounty of love that led to fulfillment. Days filled with overwhelming happiness. Yet, they were just a bit dull. So when she was looking for something to engage herself with, she stumbled upon it. A battered old brush she had once used incessantly. Grasping it once more, she realized. What had begun out of a sense of duty could become an exhilarating and delightful hobby. "So, what should I write?" A tale of heartfelt romance? Or perhaps a fable to impart wisdom upon children? So many stories she wanted to tell. Perhaps because she was holding the brush after such a long time, ideas for stories were almost overflowing from her mind. But she didn’t want to dive in blindly. Since this was her first creation, she wanted to fill it with something meaningful. "A story of significance…." Then the answer was clear. "I'll write about my husband's story." Let me write a secret record, a chronicle that only he and the hero can unveil, and share it with the world. To show the life he has led. The hardships he endured to reach where he is now. So that the people of the world may honor him, and draw courage from his journey. And also, "So that our children yet to be born may see it." To know what kind of person their father was. Thus, from the tip of the brush she held, the epic of the hero, destined to resonate throughout the world, began to take shape. Author's Note: I'll see you in the next chapter. Thank you for reading, as always. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)