NOVEL NEXT Chapter 526
00526 암천향(暗天鄕) ————————————————————————=
The 23rd life has begun.
I lay in the barn, staring blankly at the ceiling. Rage and despair tangled together, ruling my heart, and the feeling that I couldn’t forgive my own helplessness crushed my body and mind.
If only I had chosen a little faster!
If only I had done that, I wouldn’t have had to witness the deaths of my comrades.
“Ugh… Aaaah…”
Tears flowed from my eyes, streaming down to my ears because of my self-reproach. It was a scene too pathetic for others to see, yet I couldn’t move. Overwhelmed by uncontrollable emotions, I was powerless to do anything.
I want to forget.
Suddenly, the pressure weighing down on my mind made me think of alcohol as a way to escape it. I could have thought of women or drugs, but right now, I just wanted to drink like crazy. So, without a single thought, I dashed out to the nearby village.
Tydaht
I ran and ran. This time, I didn’t even bring the Heavenly Secret. I just ran without a care. Lying here made me feel like I would go insane, so I ran wildly. Once again, whether my internal power was inherited or not, my physical strength allowed me to run for three days and nights without issue.
‘ I want to get drunk… I want to drown myself in a place with a lot of alcohol.’
The place I finally arrived at after running for a while was Guanzhong. And the largest brothel in Guanzhong.
Spring Scene Pavilion
I stared blankly at the plaque and stumbled inside. There, a girl working inside suddenly shouted in disgust.
“What’s this? A beggar kid comes in right after I open the door to clean in the morning…”
“Alcohol… Give me alcohol!”
I said to her. The girl looked at me as if I was absurd, then tried to drag me out by my collar.
“Damn! Too unlucky…”
Whirling
“Oof.”
I immediately used the Thunder God Lineage’s Golden Grasp, throwing the girl back. I tossed her so cleanly that she seemed to realize she had been thrown only after rolling on the floor several times. Ignoring her, I searched for the alcohol storage in the Spring Scene Pavilion.
Found it.
‘ Let’s drink! Let’s drink and forget everything!’
As soon as I discovered the place piled with liquor, I quickly picked a barrel and hoisted it up. It was larger than my own body, but I brought it to my lips and gulped it down without hesitation. It felt like a strong drink; I could feel the intoxicating warmth taking hold.
Damn! But I’m not getting drunk!
As soon as the alcohol’s energy started to rise, my internal power automatically resisted and detoxified it. I knew it was because I had so much internal power, and tried to lower my resistance by controlling my vital energy. Yet, my internal power was too much, and the detoxifying ability was ridiculously good. I couldn’t possibly feel it with the ordinary alcohol’s strength. To truly resolve this, I might have to research the Eight Extraordinary Vessels separately to stimulate the acupoints that induce drunkenness, but that sounded too bothersome.
‘ Damn… I don’t even know anymore.’
If I drink like crazy, something will happen anyway!!
Even though I had no reason to think that way, I tilted the barrel and continued pouring liquor into my stomach.
Glug glug
“Ugh… Ugh… This is insane!!”
The girl who followed me was horrified, trying to pull my body away from drinking, but I wasn’t some martial artist who could be easily dragged by a girl like her. At the very least, it would take the leader of the Nine Great Sects to make me pretend to budge. I turned my head towards her, tears and snot streaming down my face.
“I’ll pay you back for the drinks later, so just let me drink!!”
“EEEK.”
Perhaps because I shouted with a bit of internal power, the girl trembled and took a step back. And before I knew it, I had emptied a barrel of liquor, but rather than getting drunk, all I felt was like I had just downed a bunch of water. I immediately expelled the spirit of water from my body and began madly craving more liquor.
Glug glug
Glug glug
While I was drinking, the girl returned with some sort of gang. The owner of the Spring Scene Pavilion cried out excitedly to them.
“Get that brat out of here!! We’ll run out of our liquor.”
“He seems like a kid who knows some martial arts; we’ve hit the jackpot.”
“A kid already drinking and causing a ruckus!”
The gang, threatening to break my limbs, looked like martial artists from the Heretical Sect of Guanzhong. But they were truly pathetic, and their martial abilities were trivial. I didn’t even bother to look back as I continued to drink, and the Heretical Sect thugs shouted and charged at me.
“Whoa!”
Crash
“Ahhh!”
“Eek!”
In an instant, more than ten burly men flew through the air from a simple Tai Chi strike. They were so unskilled I didn’t even feel the need to use the Thunder God martial arts. They all struck their acupoints accurately and fainted, so there was no doubt they wouldn’t wake up for a while.
Glug glug
Glug glug
I kept pouring liquor down my throat. And I cried.
‘ Damn… I can’t forget.’
The image of them dying for me wouldn’t leave my mind. When I lived my first life as an escort, I could drink like this and lose consciousness to forget it all. But is that not even within my control now? My mind was still clear, and it only made me feel more frustrated and miserable.
Glug glug
Eventually, I emptied the seventh barrel. The trembling owner behind me said,
“Ugh… That’s not human capacity…”
But there were still about 30 barrels left in the Spring Scene Pavilion. I picked up the next barrel with tortured eyes and began pouring it into my stomach, while the owner ran off outside, shouting,
“Aaaah!! Extreme Tiger!! Isn’t Extreme Tiger on duty?!!”
I continued drinking.
I want to forget.
I want to forget, but why can’t I?
I just want to bury my face in dishwater and die, but even death isn’t a solution.
It’s too painful. Please, I hope the alcohol can solve this pain.
After emptying another six barrels of liquor, I felt a presence behind me. That presence held a spear at an angle and spoke to me.
“Hey, kid! Is the alcohol good?”
I recognized the owner of that voice. But I wasn’t in the mood to care, so I didn’t turn around and shouted,
“Do you drink because it’s good?!”
He tilted his head in disbelief, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha. This is quite the weirdo! Whoa, I’ve been on the path of alcohol for over ten years, and I couldn’t think like that at your age. You look young, so what painful thing have you been through?”
“…..”
“Hey, if someone speaks to you, at least respond. Am I interfering with your drinking? You can at least give me a response.”
I retorted irritably.
“Shut up, you clumsy fool pretending to be a refined man.”
“What? You’re a prickly little brat.”
He muttered, then continued,
“Kid, I’m called Extreme Tiger, who works here. What’s your name? So I can put your liquor tab on credit.”
That was it.
The guy behind me with the spear was indeed Extreme Tiger. Now, he was working as a guard and servant at the Spring Scene Pavilion, but in reality, he was a successor of the Thunder God Lineage and was related to Lee Kwang. Moreover, he was the inheritor of one of the Thunder God’s greatest divine techniques, the Soul Removal Technique, and could even use Heavenly Light. During my previous life, I had learned all about Extreme Tiger’s abilities, so I knew he was no mere servant of a liquor house.
But what does that matter?
How can Extreme Tiger, being outrageously amazing, heal my heart right now?
Thinking this made me even more irritable, so I shouted,
“Shit, shut up!! My name is Baek Woong, so get lost if you’re not going to drink with me.”
“Oh… Baek Woong… What a simple name?”
Extreme Tiger scratched his chin, then suddenly leaned in closer and sat beside me.
Swoosh
When I turned to look at him, he grinned and said,
“Forget it, I’ll drink with you.”
“……”
“By the way, I’m called the best drinker in Guanzhong; I wonder if you can keep up, muahaha.”
Glug glug
Extreme Tiger laughed, but I paid him no mind and kept drinking. It wasn’t the time to care about that lousy imitation of a courtesan. I was busy trying to collect my shattered emotions. I just wanted to drown in liquor until I passed out and forgot everything.
Glug glug
“Ah, the liquor at Spring Scene Pavilion is something else, isn’t it? It’s fruit wine bought from the nearby farmers, and it really hits hard.”
Glug glug
“Ah, I’m getting drunk.”
Extreme Tiger too sat beside me, pouring spirits down his throat. The owner, who had been watching from the back, anxiously shouted,
“Extreme Tiger, what are you doing?!”
“Can’t you see? We’re having a good time.”
“No… We have to get that brat out of here!”
“Heh heh. I’ll pay for my drinks; just keep watching, old man.”
“Ugh.”
Extreme Tiger chuckled and kept drinking. I poured alcohol into my stomach repeatedly, stealing glances at him with newfound curiosity.
‘ This guy can really drink.’
Of course, Extreme Tiger rivaled the peak experts in internal power, but considering his youth, it would be hard to say he was among the very best in the Central Plains. He’d probably use techniques to force the drunkenness out, but still, there’s a limit to how much one can drink. Yet, I found it strange he was willing to join me in drinking like a madman.
Glug glug!
Glug glug
For a while, Extreme Tiger and I drank silently. Eventually, as we neared the end of a barrel, with only three barrels remaining, Extreme Tiger suddenly asked me a question.
“Baek Woong, don’t you feel sorry for that drink?”
I paused.
I stopped at the unexpected question. Extreme Tiger continued,
“In Guanzhong, many drunks make a nuisance of themselves~ But they all love their alcohol. At least they know what kind of drink it is, the taste, and cherish it. Even alcoholics who prefer drink over family have affection and principles. But you, Baek Woong, do you even know what taste that liquor is?”
“……”
Suddenly, I became clear-minded from Extreme Tiger’s words. I was originally quite clear-headed, and hearing a sensible remark jolted my rationality into action. And I was overcome with shame at the fact that I was receiving such advice from Extreme Tiger.
“… What does it matter if I don’t know? I drink to get drunk.”
“Right. You drink to get drunk. But you’re desecrating the alcohol.”
“Desecrating the alcohol?”
Glug glug
Extreme Tiger grabbed a nearby barrel and took a swig, wiping his mouth afterward.
“Listen well, it’s a thing. You drink to feel good. Before you drink, you anticipate, and that feels good, then you get tipsy and feel good, and when you’re drunk, everything feels happy… and you enjoy it without bothering others. That’s what a tavern is for.”
Extreme Tiger leaned back, resting his chin on his thigh, glaring at me.
“But, damn, with a face like you’ve been eating dung while drowning in alcohol since earlier, aren’t you desecrating it? Am I wrong? Don’t you feel sorry for the folks who made that liquor?”
“……”
“Hey, you know, stay true to your drinking principles.”
I couldn’t help but gawk at him.
‘ What a… logical nonsensical ramble.’
He said it convincingly, but in the end, he was complaining about my drunken expression. It felt surprisingly different than when I got logical critiques from Mangnyang or Zhuge Sa, and I felt momentarily dazed.
Crash
Suddenly, Extreme Tiger emptied the rest of the barrel before I knew it. And then he smiled mischievously.
“Hey, what will you do now that I’ve finished the liquor at Spring Scene Pavilion? Are you going to another tavern?”
“……”
“Why don’t we make a bet? Since we can drink a lot.”
“A bet?”
Extreme Tiger chuckled.
“Well, since we’re drinking anyway, let’s make it extravagant. Let’s see who can empty more barrels of liquor from Guanzhong. Who can drink more.”
That was utterly ridiculous.
The thought of drowning my sorrow in liquor flew out the window at the absurdity of it all.
“Why would I do that?”
“Are you scared? If you are, just don’t.”
“I’m just trying to drink alone; what’s with your meddling…?”
“Are you doing it or not? Hehehe.”
I found it absurd and couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll win.”
Boom
A moment later, all the tavern owners from Guanzhong gathered outside with their liquor barrels. Passersby on the official road started to gather, wondering what was happening. Soon, hundreds of barrels stacked up, and Extreme Tiger and I found ourselves surrounded by them.
Extreme Tiger raised his internal power and shouted.
“Everyone~ We’ll identify the best drinker in Guanzhong right here~~”
“What’s happening?”
“The judge for this contest is~ even ghost defeating~ the hope of Guanzhong martial artists! The leader of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, Samjeol Lee Kwang!”
Before we realized, Lee Kwang had arrived and was standing with folded arms. Beside him, Jin So-cheong came with a few officials from the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.
Lee Kwang glared at Extreme Tiger and said,
“Extreme Tiger. If you can’t take responsibility for this, you’ll be expelled…”
“Hehe. What’s the harm in it?”
Lee Kwang stepped forward. As everyone’s attention turned to him, he alternated looks between the two of us and shouted,
“Begin!”
Glug glug
Glug glug
‘ Ah, I don’t care.’
Right now, I just wanted to drink and forget everything, whether it was Lee Kwang or Extreme Tiger, or any other nonsense. I didn’t want to think about the grudge I held against Lee Kwang; I just wanted to pour the liquor down into my stomach, over and over. Extreme Tiger seemed to feel the same as he started drinking like a madman, filling his belly with alcohol.
Glug glug
Glug glug
As we drank over twenty barrels together, the onlookers screamed.
“Ugh!”
“Is that human capacity?!”
“God of alcohol!”
Glug glug
Glug glug
Jin So-cheong, who was watching, was in shock.
“Unbelievable…”
Lee Kwang calmly asked,
“So-cheong, how much can you drink?”
“Um… I don’t really like alcohol…”
“……”
Of course, that wasn’t true.
Jin So-cheong was just as much a drinker as Extreme Tiger. She drank well too. I knew that fact very well through my previous life.
When we exceeded fifty barrels, Extreme Tiger’s complexion suddenly paled as he stopped to expel the alcohol.
“Ugh.”
Even for Extreme Tiger, there was a limit to how much he could drink, and his ability to detoxify lowered when his internal power couldn’t keep up. He looked like he was about to vomit from the alcohol.
‘ I’ve won.’
Once in that state, removing even a single barrel would be difficult for him. But just as I was certain of my victory, Extreme Tiger suddenly focused,
“Ugh!!”
Suddenly, it seemed like he gained enlightenment, and his internal power surged to a new level. His Thunder Spirit began to rise violently. Lee Kwang, watching from the side, marveled.
“He did it! He broke through!”
“…..”
I glanced at Extreme Tiger, speechless.
‘ What? You’re saying that through sheer willpower for liquor, you can break through your limits?!’
At this point, I couldn’t deny Extreme Tiger’s drinking prowess. Throughout my life, I had no experience like it—seeing someone’s martial realm elevate while drinking! Extreme Tiger ignited his will.
“… You are my strongest rival in my drinking journey, Baek Woong.”
“No, what’s with you? You’re creeping me out…”
“Ugh.”
As I murmured in dismay, Extreme Tiger quickly downed another barrel in one gulp. Though his belly was slightly swollen, he quickly expelled the alcohol. Then he declared,
“I will never give up!”
Glug glug
Glug glug
The tavern owners watching us fell over one by one, unable to believe human capacity could go this far. Some looked at us with worry, wondering what would happen if they couldn’t collect the bill.
The limit was nearing.
‘ Ugh… I’m getting drunk… for real…’
Though I had been drinking faster and in greater quantity than Extreme Tiger, even my immense internal power had its limits. After nearly emptying a hundred barrels, I finally felt a familiar sense of lightheadedness—my head was in a daze. If I used techniques to expel the drunkenness here, I might win against Extreme Tiger, but something told me that would mean losing.
Glug glug
Glug glug
I’m getting drunk.
Finally, I felt an intense wave of intoxication spreading through my entire body. The sensation I had longed for washed over me, but somehow, I couldn’t think simply anymore. My body felt limp, my eyelids drooping, the scent of liquor flooding my nose and mouth, and my throat and mouth warming up all signaled my drunkenness.
And just before I passed out, I could hear Extreme Tiger’s slurred voice behind me.
“Am… I… the… greatest… in Guanzhong… you know… uh!!”
No, you’re not the greatest in Guanzhong.
If you defeated me, Extreme Tiger, you’d already be the best in the Central Plains…
I found myself smiling faintly.
‘ Hehehe.’
What is this?
Is life really full of moments like this? Is this what life feels like?
Swoosh
I fell forward and drifted into sleep.