Absolute Regression

The next day, when I entered the office of the Underworld Pavilion, Seo Daeryong was waiting.

As soon as he saw me, he let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re safe.”

“Why? Did you think I would drown in the Drunken Demon’s liquor?”

“You’re not good at drinking, are you?”

“I drink well. I just held back when drinking with you guys.”

“Why?”

“I was afraid I might cause a scene.”

“Does our great leader have a drinking problem?”

“What kind of drinking problem?”

It was something I couldn’t tell Seo Daeryong. I would become extremely depressed. If I hadn’t met Seo Jin during my wandering days, I would have become a wreck or, in a drunken stupor, recklessly gone to kill Hwa Moogi. I wouldn’t have even met Hwa Moogi and would have been killed by his supporters.

I lied about my drinking problem.

“I drink, sing, dance. It gets wild.”

“I can’t imagine that!”

“I also nag my right-hand man a lot.”

“I don’t want to imagine that either.”

“Do you understand now why I hold back on drinking?”

“No, go ahead. Cause a scene in front of us. You need to vent your pent-up anger too. I’ll endure your nagging for half an hour!”

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met Seo Daeryong. He had entered my room, bringing a gloomy aura with him. He was truly depressed and twisted back then, but now he was comforting me like this.

“We’re gathering again tonight, so please join us. Lord Jang would love to see you.”

“Alright. See you this evening.”

“Yes. I’ll just water the plants and leave.”

Seo Daeryong watered the plants placed by the window.

“Now that the top spot is back, Iinja, you’re the second in command from now on.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are sorrows only the top spot knows.”

Just then, Seo Daeryong, who was casually looking out the window, gasped in surprise.

When I looked, I saw someone entering the Underworld Pavilion. Just as Soma had once crossed the training grounds, another Demon Supreme was walking in. ℞åꞐổᛒЕṨ

Everyone could recognize who it was. The numerous bottles dangling from his waist told us who he was.

Amazingly, the Drunken Demon had entered the Underworld Pavilion. Behind him followed a woman, none other than Lyu Bin, the third drunken guest from the Great Drunken Forest, who had ferried us across the river.

The Drunken Demon’s arrival caused the investigators and enforcement martial artists passing by to hold their breath.

Since becoming the leader of the Underworld Pavilion, I had seen more Demon Supremes than ever before.

Seo Daeryong looked at me and asked.

“How is it that every time you go to meet the Demon Supremes, they end up coming here? What did you do yesterday?”

“Maybe the amount of liquor we drank yesterday wasn’t enough.”

“He’s stumbling while walking over here.”

Even from a distance, it was clear that he was drunk. Song Sa-hyuk seemed to be perpetually intoxicated.

“Go and greet the guests.”

Soon, Seo Daeryong led the Drunken Demon and Lyu Bin inside.

“Welcome, Drunken Demon.”

“We meet again, Second Young Master.”

He greeted me warmly, even using the term “we.”

“After drinking together like that yesterday, shouldn’t we wait at least a few days before meeting again?”

“Today, I’m here on official business.”

“Are you perhaps here to meet Doho?”

“Yes. Despite causing trouble, isn’t he still my man? I have to see him once before you send him to prison.”

This visit was for a reason I hadn’t anticipated.

“I’m not the one who will be meeting him. This person here will.”

“Go ahead.”

I instructed Seo Daeryong, “Take her to Doho.”

“Yes.”

Seo Daeryong led Lyu Bin outside.

Left alone with the Drunken Demon, I spoke.

“You seemed quite drunk yesterday. Are you feeling alright?”

“No, I’m not. That’s why we should have a drink to cure the hangover.” 1

The Drunken Demon shook a bottle of liquor.

“I can’t. I’m still on duty.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Everything goes better with a drink. Have a drink and lock everyone up in prison!”

“Isn’t that exactly why Doho caused trouble? If I was the only one who died, it would be fortunate, but the problem is that innocent people were killed.”

“What will happen to Doho?”

“He will have to stay in prison for a very long time. I’m planning to apply the maximum sentence.”

“It will be hard for him to live without alcohol.”

“Then he shouldn’t have caused trouble. Did you really come here just for Doho?”

“That’s just an excuse. Have you forgotten? We agreed to be sworn brothers.”

He had used the term ‘sworn brothers’ three times since yesterday. His eyes were quite serious when he looked at me now. He acted as if he genuinely meant it. But I didn’t trust Song Sa-hyuk’s words or those eyes.

The drunkards I had encountered were always the most serious and sincere when they were intoxicated. They spoke as if they had the weight of the world on their shoulders.

But once the drinking session ended, it became clear that their words weren’t that important. There were many lies and a lot of bluster. I often felt that their insides were empty and decorated with all sorts of stories.

Drunken Demon, what about you? Are you the same as them? Are you standing precariously at the end of that empty void? Are you truly just the ultimate leader of those drunkards? If not… why are you so intoxicated?

“Why do you want to get close to me?”

“It’s not because I like you, but because I dislike Geom Muyang. Since he smashed my liquor bottle and sent it back, he has to pay the price.”

“Why did he smash the liquor bottle? He must have known it would upset you.”

“How would I know what goes on in his mind? Maybe I’d know if we shared a drink.”

“Do you understand others when you drink with them?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of person am I then?”

He looked at me, but his drunken gaze made it hard to read his thoughts.

“That evaluation is meaningless. Yesterday’s you and today’s you are different people.”

“How can a person change in just one day? I am the same person I was then.”

“Are you sure about that? Do you feel the same way about me now as you did then?”

I couldn’t answer that question. I had heard from Gu Cheonpa that the Drunken Demon was a sly character, so strictly speaking, I wasn’t seeing him in the same light.

“That’s why I want to drink with you again today. A new us, drinking on a new day. Let’s create a new history.”

Alright, if fate is pushing me towards another drink with you, then so be it. Let’s drink again.

“I’ll be drinking at the Flowing Wind Tavern tonight. Come there. But since there will be many people, bring the female martial artist who came with you.”

I intended to learn more about the Drunken Demon through Lyu Bin. It was also to prevent the Drunken Demon from controlling the atmosphere alone.

“Alright, I’ll bring her.”

The Drunken Demon seemed genuinely pleased at the prospect of the drinking appointment. Did he like the drink? Or was it the company? It was really hard to tell with him.

At that moment, the door opened and Seo Daeryong and Lyu Bin returned.

Song Sa-hyuk stood up.

“See you later then.”

“Just so you know, there’s nowhere to swim at the Flowing Wind Tavern.”

It was a warning not to make a scene, but the Drunken Demon pretended to swim while saying he’d swim even in a glass of liquor as he left the office.

After the two left, Seo Daeryong asked urgently.

“What’s going on?”

“I told him to come to the Flowing Wind Tavern. And to bring Lyu Bin.”

“Why?”

“He said he wanted to drink.”

“Don’t you care about us, leader?”

“Who are you worried about? The Demonic Army Commander ? The disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? My guard, Lee Ahn? Who should I be worried about?”

“When you put it that way… there’s really no one to worry about.”

“Are you scared? If you’re scared, you don’t have to come.”

Seo Daeryong sighed.

“As you know, I’m not someone who would be affected by such provocations. If I were my old self, I would have backed away to the door, waved goodbye, and told you to have a safe trip. My courage was only the size of a bean.”

“And now?”

“That bean has swelled and is sticking out of my belly. Even though it’s only the size of a walnut, I feel like I could drink with the Great Drunken Demon. When you get this kind of naive arrogance from confidence in your martial arts, it’s the perfect time to die, right?”

“Since you already know, there’s nothing to teach you. Now, descend the mountain.”

“If I were my old self, I would have taken your words ‘descend the mountain’ as a farewell to this world. I would have clung to your legs, refusing to go. But do you know what I think now? The martial world? What’s so great about it? The Great Drunken Demon? What’s the big deal? Just confront it like a man. At worst, I’ll die, right? That’s the kind of crazy thoughts I’m having. Please, stop me. Have I fallen into demonic possession?”

Though it looked like he was joking, Seo Daeryong was actually keeping his arrogance in check. This is why smart people survive longer.

“What did Lyu Bin and Doho talk about in the interrogation room?”

“Not much. The martial artist Lyu asked if she could give Doho a drink, and after we confirmed there was no poison, she gave it to him.”

Was this a custom of the Great Drunken Forest? Or did the drink have another meaning?

At that moment, an urgent report came from outside.

“Leader, Doho has committed suicide.”

Startled, I ran to the interrogation room with Seo Daeryong. Doho was lying on the floor with his head cracked open.

“He banged his head against the wall and killed himself.”

Seo Daeryong blamed himself upon hearing the report from the subordinate who was guarding the place.

“Should we have stopped him from giving the drink?”

I shook my head.

“It wasn’t the drink. Lyu Bin must have sent a telepathic message to die.”

“Why would she give such an order? He was going to suffer in prison for a long time anyway.”

Suddenly, I remembered what Song Sa-hyuk had said.

It would be hard to live without alcohol.

Did she really ‘kill’ him to ease his suffering?

“Will you still come tonight?”

Seo Daeryong seemed angry. He probably felt like he had guided Doho to his death.

“I’m going. What’s so great about the martial world? What’s the big deal about the Great Drunken Demon? At worst, I’ll die, right? Don’t try to stop me.”

This is why smart people sometimes die faster.

“I think you’ve really fallen into demonic possession.”

* * *

Before going to the Flowing Wind Tavern, I went to see my brother.

When I entered his office, he was in the middle of working.

Being of the Heavenly Demon bloodline didn’t mean we could just laze around. Just as I was in charge of the Underworld Pavilion, my brother was also handling matters from the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

The enormous organization of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult required many people to perform their respective duties, and my brother excelled in managing and operating it better than anyone.

Even though he knew I had entered the room, Geom Muyang didn’t lift his head from the pile of documents.

“Have you been well? Doesn’t it say in those piles of papers that you should greet someone when they come in?”

Geom Muyang continued to focus on his work, not even pretending to hear me. 2

“Sure, I know you’re great at multitasking, so listen while you work. Why did you refuse the Great Drunken Demon? You even sent back a broken liquor bottle?”

For a moment, Geom Muyang’s hand paused before resuming its movement.

“I went to see him with the bottle filled with liquor. He seemed to like me a lot. He was very angry with you, though.”

As I spoke, I watched my brother’s reaction closely. Using the New Eye Technique, I observed his face and body’s subtle responses. He might think he wasn’t showing any reaction, but there were very slight indications.

“Do you know what Song Sa-hyuk said about you?”

Then Geom Muyang raised his head and looked at me.

“That seems to have piqued your interest.”

“What did he say?”

“Ask him yourself when you meet him. Ah, but I suppose he won’t meet with you?”

I noticed Geom Muyang’s lips twitch slightly. He had something to say but was severely holding himself back.

‘There’s no reason for my brother to refuse the Great Drunken Demon. Even if there were a reason, he would have accepted it despite any consequences. There’s definitely some underlying issue here.’

I became more certain from Geom Muyang’s reaction.

“Thanks to you, I got the Great Drunken Demon for free. He even came to see me today, saying he wants to get closer. We’re having drinks tonight as well.”

Geom Muyang’s gaze stiffly returned to the documents.

“If you’ve said everything you needed to, you can leave.”

Normally, he would have at least made a cold remark when I teased him like this. But today, he held back, as if even a single word might cause a bottle to fall and shatter.

Just seeing his reaction made today’s visit worthwhile.

* * *

After Geom Mugeuk left, the Demonic Buddha entered the room shortly after.

“I heard the Second Young Master was here.”

“He came to sound me out. He wanted to know why we refused the Great Drunken Demon.”

“Did he know? About the liquor bottle?”

“No, it seemed he was unaware.”

Then, astonishing words flowed from Ma Bul’s mouth.

“Then the Second Young Master must continue to not know. It wasn’t us who refused the Great Drunken Demon, but the Great Drunken Demon who refused us.”

From the beginning, it was not Geom Muyang who sent the broken liquor bottle but Song Sa-hyuk. The empty liquor bottle that the Great Drunken Demon sent to Geom Muyang was broken.

Geom Muyang took that as a sign that the Great Drunken Demon was refusing to join forces with him. 3

“Why did the Great Drunken Demon choose Mugeuk? He could have weighed his options between me and Mugeuk.”

“I don’t know about that either.”

“We need to find out the reason and bring Song Sa-hyuk to our side.”

“There’s no need to rush.”

Ma Bul, on the contrary, saw this as an opportunity.

“The Great Drunken Demon is an unpredictable person. If he starts to stir things up, even the Second Young Master won’t be able to handle him easily. Besides, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Evil Smiling Demon dislike each other, but they despise the Great Drunken Demon even more. Eventually, the demons the Second Young Master has painstakingly gathered will fall apart. If you gain the Great Drunken Demon, you will lose another demon. You might even lose all three.”

The Demonic Buddha’s eyes shone with conviction, as bright as his golden body.

“This is a chance to turn an unfavorable situation around.”

Geom Muyang held back the words he wanted to say.

‘What if, by any chance, the Great Drunken Demon ends up siding completely with Mugeuk?’

But from the moment he received the broken liquor bottle, he had no choice in the matter.

He could only hope that the Great Drunken Demon would create even more chaos than they anticipated.

1 : Totally a Cale Henituse excuse, to cure a hangover with more hangovers.

2 : Rude~~

3 : Maybe it was just mishandled during transport. Like all those bastards who yeet fragile TVs above the fence and run away

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