Absolute Regression

The next day, I began a ten-day period of closed-door training.

I entrusted the duties of the Underworld Pavilion to Seo Daeryong and forgot all about the Demon Supremes.

This training was an emergency.

Every action has its timing and occasion. Just as you must seize the moment during a match, there are also times for training.

My trigger was the recent, vivid sparring with my father. Before this experience faded from my mind, I needed to absorb it entirely into my own.

I decided not to think about the Demon Supremes.

The Drunken Demon might come looking for me the next day, or the Demon Supremes might start fighting among themselves. Since they were not people I could control anyway, I focused solely on what I had to do.

I meticulously replayed the match at the Flowing Wind Tavern, where I had fought with utter selflessness.

I recreated the sparring with my father down to the smallest movements. When I moved this way, my father moved that way. When I attacked in that manner, he defended in this manner. I compared and analyzed both his movements and mine.

This sparring session held significant meaning on many levels. The fact that I fought without setting my own limits and the severe restriction of not disturbing the surroundings during the intense match were both critical aspects.

Therefore, I gained much insight and had many lessons to learn.

This was not physical training that exhausted the body but rather deep contemplation and reflection. I thought only about martial arts, and I delved deeper into it than ever before.

Ten days later, I emerged from the training hall, my beard having grown shaggy.

At that moment, I caught a strong whiff of alcohol and, half-expecting it, heard a voice behind me.

“Who are you trying to kill with such intense training? Is it me? No, right?”

To my surprise, the Drunken Demon was waiting for me.

“Why are you here?”

“Why else? I’ve been waiting for you to come out. After we drank at the Flowing Wind Tavern, I heard you entered closed-door training the next day. So I rushed over right away.”

“You mean you’ve been waiting here the whole time?”

“Of course! I’ve been here since day one.”

After staring at him intently, I laughed and said,

“That’s a lie. You probably told Lyu Bin, ‘Let me know when the Young Master’s training is over in ten days.’ Then you enjoyed drinking and playing. When did you arrive today? Just now?”

“Hmm. Has Lyu Bin switched to your side?”

His candid confession made me laugh.

The Drunken Demon asked with a suspicious look,

“By the way, you didn’t enter closed-door training just to avoid me, did you?”

“To be honest, I enjoy drinking and playing with you, Drunken Demon. The problem is that it’s almost too enjoyable.”

“When I heard you went into closed-door training, it felt like the sky was falling. If you had gone into a hundred-day training, I would have turned into a stone.”

“Don’t you have any other drinking buddies?”

“Who?”

“You could drink with the Sword Supreme.”

“After suffering such humiliation from that Soma guy, who would I want to drink with? I need some time to quell my anger.”

Is that really the reason? He’s the type of person who would wait outside a training hall. Right now, he’s more interested in me than the Sword Supreme, so she probably doesn’t even cross his mind.

“Isn’t this exactly when you need a friend?”

“Because we’re friends, I’m sparing her.”

He had a point that I couldn’t argue against.

“Come on, let’s go drink.”

“Do you enjoy drinking with me that much?”

“Didn’t you say we can’t call each other brothers after just drinking together twice?”

It was something I had said to him in passing at the Flowing Wind Tavern. It seemed to have stuck with him.

“Won’t you call me brother if we drink together about two hundred times?”

“If we’ve shared that many drinks, wouldn’t titles be meaningless?”

“No, it’s important. Isn’t it strange if we’ve drunk together two hundred times and still don’t call each other brothers?”

“That’s true, but—”

“If it were about drinking tea, I wouldn’t even make it five times. But when it comes to drinking, we can definitely reach two hundred.”

“Why are you so eager to call me brother?”

His reason was unexpected.

“It’s simple. Isn’t there a fifty-fifty chance you’ll become the Heavenly Demon? Isn’t it an opportunity to have the Heavenly Demon as a younger brother?”

“You’re making a big mistake.”

“What mistake?”

“If I become the Heavenly Demon, I won’t treat you as an elder brother. The two hundred drinks will mean nothing then.”

“Outwardly, sure.”

“Not even inwardly. Not behind your back either. I might even treat you more strictly to avoid any misunderstandings.”

The Drunken Demon looked at me with a peculiar expression.

“I thought you would be open-hearted even if you became the Heavenly Demon. I expected you to break formalities and treat the Demon Supremes like brothers.”

“That’s a misconception about me. I’m colder and more detached than I seem. Maybe I act more affectionate to hide that. If I become the Heavenly Demon, I’ll strictly separate public and private matters. If you expected me to casually call you brother, investing in the remaining one hundred ninety-eight drinks would be better spent on someone else.”

Then Song Sa-hyuk spoke in a meaningful tone.

“Your brother must not become the Cult Leader.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you over a drink.”

The Drunken Demon hurried his steps.

I walked in the opposite direction.

He came after me from a distance.

“Hey, this is too much. Young Master, aren’t you curious?”

“Not at all.”

“Aren’t you curious why your brother shouldn’t become the Cult Leader?”

“No.”

“Why on earth not?”

This time, I replied in a meaningful tone.

“Are you curious why I’m not curious?”

“Yes.”

“I’m pretending not to be curious so you’ll be more curious. And you’re trying to make me curious just to have a drink with me, aren’t you?”

“Being too smart makes you less human!”

“I already told you, I’m a person without much affection.”

As I walked briskly, the Drunken Demon persistently followed me.

“I’ve waited ten days. Young Master, are you really going to do this?”

Fine, I suppose I should acknowledge this level of effort.

“I give in. Let me wash up and rest a bit, then I’ll come to the Great Drunken Forest this evening.”

Finally, Song Sa-hyuk’s face brightened up.

“I’ll be waiting. Make sure you come.”

“But you have to tell me why Muyang shouldn’t become the Cult Leader.”

“I thought you weren’t curious?”

“How could I not be? See you later.”

I returned to my quarters, shaved my beard, washed my body, and changed into fresh clothes.

Then, I stood in front of the mirror.

The me from ten days ago was very different from the me now.

During the closed-door training, I had elevated the Wind God’s Four Steps to a new level.

Wind God’s Four Steps, Eight Stars.

I had anticipated such results when I entered closed-door training.

I had mastered the Soaring Sword Art to the Twelve Stars Greatness and had gained insights from the writings left by the Great Evil Sect Master. I had fought Baek Mang-gi and later had a peculiar experience of revisiting that battle from a third-person perspective in a dream.

The sparring with my father was crucial. It was as if he had predicted this outcome, for he had used the Wind God’s Four Steps throughout the entirety of the match to counter me.

Oh, there was one more thing. The urgency to master the Wind God’s Four Steps before learning the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

As a result, achieving the Eight Stars of the Wind God’s Four Steps was almost inevitable.

The biggest change upon reaching the Eight Stars of the Wind God’s Four Steps was the overwhelming desire to sprint somewhere using Starlight Step. My body was itching to the point where I had to suppress the urge to run to the training hall. It would be no small feat to properly satisfy this urge.

First, I lay down on my bed and slept. Maybe it was because I was in a good mood? For the first time in a long while, I slept deeply without any worries.

* * *

That evening, when I bought a bottle of wine and went to the Great Drunken Forest, Song Sa-hyuk was lying in a small boat, drifting on the lake.

I slowly approached the Drunken Demon’s boat on another small boat that Lyu Bin had provided.

There was nothing in his boat except for the bottles of wine.

“As expected! When I’m not around, you don’t bother with snacks.”

“If you drank with me every day, I’d eat snacks every day. Here, have a drink.”

“I’ll drink the wine I brought.”

One of the things I liked about the Drunken Demon was that he never forced anyone when it came to alcohol. No matter what you drank, or if you just took a sip and put it down, he didn’t care. He never forced anyone to get drunk with him. I believed the Drunken Demon was someone who truly loved alcohol.

“When I came here before, I felt it too—this lake is really nice.”

“There are even better places in the Great Drunken Forest. I’ll take you there next time.”

“Do you really think there will be a next time for us?”

“Why do you think there won’t be?”

I drank instead of answering.

“Yes, I understand what you mean. Gu Cheonpa dislikes me intensely.”

He took a drink too.

“Come to think of it, am I the only one he dislikes? Are you really planning to gain him and lose the other three? Isn’t that too much of a loss? That person will switch to the Eldest Young Master anytime if the conditions are right.”

The Drunken Demon started subtly sowing discord again and pushing the Blood Heaven Blade Demon away.

“I told you that day, I will gain all three. That’s why I came here today.”

“If you can’t distinguish between idealism and reality, Geom Muyang will end up being the successor. The successor who will become the Heavenly Demon isn’t chosen just for superior martial arts skills or intelligence.”

“Then what decides it?”

“Think about it. Choosing a successor isn’t about selecting the best martial artist in the world. It’s about picking someone who can lead our Cult well. Someone who can compromise when needed and harmonize with the Eight Demon Supremes. If they can’t do that, the Cult will fracture, and eventually, the Martial Alliance will devour us. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I didn’t know you thought about the future of our sect so rationally, Drunken Demon.”

“I’m a classic victim of misunderstandings and preconceptions.”

“If you dislike it so much, why don’t you quit drinking?”

“The Drunken Demon quitting alcohol? The entire martial world would laugh at me.”

Then he took another drink.

“May I ask you something? I’ve wanted to ask for a long time.”

“What is it?”

After a brief pause, I asked him.

“Do you drink to forget or to remember?”

“……!”

Song Sa-hyuk flinched for a moment and then stared at me intently before answering that it was neither.

“To enjoy. I drink because I genuinely like alcohol. It’s a misconception to think I drink because of some story.”

With that, the Drunken Demon took another drink. Whether his words were sincere or an evasion, I couldn’t tell. As long as he was drinking, it was difficult to see the truth in him.

I drank the wine I brought. Being with him made me want to drink more. There had been a time when I drank heavily for a reason.

Back then, was I drinking to forget or to remember? 1

“If that’s the case, why not support my brother as the successor? He wouldn’t insist on reconciling with the Blade Demon like I do.”

Then the Drunken Demon said something unexpected.

“The Eldest Young Master must not become the successor.”

He repeated what he had said in front of the training hall. It was clear this wasn’t just a ploy to bring me to the drinking session; it was something he truly believed.

Perhaps this was the reason he approached me, suggesting we become like brothers.

“Geom Muyang… likes the Cult Leader too much.”

“……!”

I was taken aback by his unexpected words.

“I like my father too.”

“He likes him in a way that’s incomparable to you.”

I couldn’t deny that. Whether it was genuine affection, being overwhelmed by my father’s authority, or aiming to become the successor, my brother would do anything my father said.

“I acknowledge that you’re more talented than the Eldest Young Master. But I can’t be sure you’ll become the successor.”

I accepted that too. My father could spar with me today and declare my brother as the successor tomorrow without batting an eye.

“Alright. Let’s say that’s true. Why is my brother’s affection for our father a reason he shouldn’t be the successor?”

“Because the Eldest Young Master wouldn’t be able to defy the Cult Leader’s wishes.”

“What wishes?”

Once again, the Drunken Demon said something astonishing.

“The unification of the martial world.”

The Drunken Demon knew. He knew my father harbored ambitions for unifying the martial world.

I recalled the conversation I had with my father regarding Jeong Dae, when he was still the Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult.

—It’s not time yet. Just know that.

At that time, I had thought my father might be dreaming of unifying the martial world.

So, the Drunken Demon had perceived my father’s ambition. Perhaps others among the Demon Supremes also knew. The Demon Supremes never mentioned anything regarding my father.

“The Eldest Young Master, if he becomes the successor, will faithfully follow our father’s orders. He will undoubtedly become the vanguard in conquering the martial world. But you? You would try to stop the Cult Leader. From what I’ve seen, you’re not someone who supports war.”

“That’s correct. I don’t want war.”

“Then you must become the successor and dissuade the Cult Leader.”

I had never dreamed that the Drunken Demon chose me for this reason.

Did he choose me to prevent an impending war? This constantly intoxicated Drunken Demon? The one who seemed the least concerned among the Eight Demon Supremes? 2

I moved my face closer to his.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I’m trying to discern how much of what you say is true and how much is false.”

“Everything I’ve said is true.”

“You want me to believe that you, who drinks all the time, chose me for the peace of the martial world?”

“Consider it my last preconception.”

With drunken eyes, he confessed the truth as if revealing a secret.

“That’s why I sent the broken wine bottle to the Eldest Young Master.”

The unexpected confession left me momentarily speechless. I hadn’t thought much of the broken wine bottle sent to my brother. It seemed like a simple prank or an act of drunken mischief, not something with deeper meaning.

“You’re telling me that broken wine bottle had a purpose?”

“Yes. It was my way of warning him.”

“Warning him about what?”

“That if he follows the Cult Leader’s ambitions blindly, it will lead to destruction. A subtle hint that even the simplest of pleasures, like enjoying wine, could be shattered by blind obedience.” 3

The Drunken Demon’s explanation made sense in a convoluted way. He wasn’t just a drunkard; there was a method to his madness.

“So, you’ve been playing a deeper game all along.”

“Believe what you will, but know this: the future of the martial world rests on who becomes the successor.”

With that, the Drunken Demon took another long drink. I pondered his words, the weight of the situation settling on my shoulders. This wasn’t just about succession; it was about the fate of the entire martial world. And in this delicate balance, I had a role to play.

---

1 : Probably both. Remembering was excruciating, and forgetting even more agonizing. A vicious circle of self hatred.

2 : Does he have a precious person outside the cult who would be harmed by the war ?

3 : Unexpectedly profound… Like most of his actions. Or this entire novel to begin with XDXDXD

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