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**

Unexpectedly, the atmosphere turned strange due to the hospitality of Muguk Jinin.

As light jokes followed, Dan Ri Jin Su seemed to realize it wasn’t the right time and gave up on the conversation.

“…First, we should let our tired bodies rest after coming all this way.”

With that, the leadership of the new Martial Alliance, including Dan Ri Jin Su, withdrew. But Baek So-pyeong, the Muguk Jinin, remained and poked me in the side.

“Are you really this clueless? Huh?”

“How did you manage to get married while being a Taoist?”

“Is there a law saying Taoists can’t marry? No, there isn’t. In fact, there used to be talk in the sect about keeping women away… but now that I’m the head, what can be done? I believe that one should experience all the joys of the world to truly find their own path. Since I’m the strongest in the current sect, everyone should obviously follow what I say.”

Baek So-pyeong chuckled.

“Marriage, you see, is often described as a man’s grave, but when you actually do it, it’s quite the opposite. Do you know how wonderful it is to have a lifelong partner? It’s like finding a friend who’s connected to your heart. Can’t you cultivate your skills while being with friends? No, not at all! But just maybe… you haven’t already gotten married to someone, have you?”

“Not at all…”

“Is there a woman you have your eyes on? Huh?”

“I’m not in a position to entertain such thoughts.”

“Oh. So it seems you have something you must handle. Well then, let’s share some drinks, whether it’s about that or my daughter. I won’t take no for an answer. As the head of the sect, I should follow the sect’s rules! Hahaha!”

Baek So-pyeong was quite unlike any Taoist, to put it nicely…

In other words, he felt more like a boisterous and carefree gang leader.

I followed him reluctantly. I stayed alert for any potential ambush, but he truly welcomed me with sincerity.

Soon, I found myself seated across from him at a drinking table.

Baek So-pyeong smirked.

“Can you hold your liquor?”

“I can’t say I’m a lightweight.”

“Great! Let’s drink until our noses go crooked! And it might be a bit dull just drinking… how about a wager?”

“…A wager, you say?”

Baek So-pyeong’s smile suddenly faded.

“We’ll take turns asking questions. If you can’t answer, you drink. The liquor I’ve prepared is so nasty that one sip will knock you out, two will have you completely plastered, and three will send any drunkard to the ground.”

The atmosphere shifted.

I felt a beast-like grin from Baek So-pyeong.

“By the time you reach the fourth drink, not even the strongest warrior will stay conscious. Five drinks? No matter how you try to endure, your body will collapse. Starting from the sixth drink, even I won’t know what happens.”

“…Why is that?”

“I usually pass out before getting to six. So, what do you think? Excluding that side effect, this drink is one of a kind in the world. And let’s be honest. Just as I’m curious about you, you must also be curious about me, right?”

“…….”

“This is the new Martial Alliance. This is a political arena. And you’re on the lower end of the information scale. So, go ahead and ask everything you want. I swear to answer truthfully to any question. A truthful drink with Muguk Jinin—such an opportunity is rare. You can’t buy it with money. So, the choice is yours.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I too wanted to gather information about the place the Former Society might belong to.

“Alright.”

“Uhaha! Just what I expected from a man!”

Muguk Jinin Baek So-pyeong pushed aside the side dishes and placed only a bottle of liquor on the table, uncorking it.

—*Thud*.

The scent wafted towards me. It had such a vile smell that one could hardly call it liquor, causing me to grimace.

It felt like poison. No, wait. But stirring through this strange scent…

Indeed, it had an exceptional taste.

Even without drinking, I could feel the flavor of the liquor.

Memories of the fine liquor I shared with the Master of Sado Clan rushed back.

Yes, it was a fine liquor. But the intoxication within it was so high that I couldn’t tell whether to call it liquor or poison.

…Still.

It didn’t seem like it would harm me.

In case of an emergency, Cheongeop would help resolve it. I accepted the cup he handed me.

“Alright. I’ll ask the first question.”

Baek So-pyeong poured liquor into his cup.

With a firm and clear placement of the cup, he threw his first question at me.

“—How did you manage to return alive from the Sado Clan?”

…

The Four Venerables.

That reputation isn’t easily won.

Titles like that don’t simply come with strength. They are bestowed based on what feats one has accomplished with that strength.

Those who enter the ranks of the Four Venerables have each achieved their own accomplishments with their unique strength.

And Muguk Jinin Baek So-pyeong was no exception.

How many evildoers had he taken down on behalf of the sect? How many masters had he directly fought?

He fought.

He fought and kept fighting.

And eventually, when no one dared challenge him anymore, what he earned was the title of Dojon.

A symbol of the sect.

But still, for some reason, when I looked at the young man before me, something felt off.

The common sense of what I thought were the enemies I had fought so far…

In an instant, it seemed like nothing at all.

“…….”

Baek So-pyeong stared at an invisible opponent with a distant gaze.

Jeok-un. Wasn’t that the name? I had personally looked into his deeds.

An incredible achievement. If it weren’t for any personal motives behind it, he could truly be called a hero in the martial world.

But now, sitting before him…

Something felt unusual.

People aren’t that heavy. Life is lighter than one thinks.

Time, blood, even the sweat shed.

When standing in front of the ‘real,’ everything seems to lighten as if it never existed.

Muguk Jinin Baek So-pyeong knew better than anyone who he was. His own talents and efforts. And how significant those achievements he had built were, he ‘objectively understood very well.’

But what was this?

That gaze. That atmosphere. The darkness.

Why does it feel so…

Suffocating?

Why do I feel so light when I should be so heavy?

To feel that invisible presence is such a peculiar sensation.

It felt like returning to the days when I was an clueless chick.

“I survived only because I didn’t die.”

“Didn’t it take two years?”

“Healing my wounds took two years.”

“…I see.”

“Is it my turn now?”

“Ask whatever you want.”

He looked my way.

Calmly, he asked.

“Is the new Martial Alliance driven by personal greed?”

“…Oh?”

The question itself was surprisingly broad.

Greed can ultimately vary based on interpretation. But Baek So-pyeong discerned what the essence of the question was.

The other party was genuinely curious.

What is the difference between the new Martial Alliance and the Former Martial Alliance? Is it really not like ‘that side’?

“…At first, indeed.”

I began to speak.

“I had no intention of siding with either. It’s just too bothersome, isn’t it? Political games. No matter how much wealth is offered, I won’t be inclined. If I side with one, there’s no doubt I’d have to get involved all the way, so naturally, it’s normal to want to avoid that.”

“…….”

“But still, I had no choice but to lend a hand in forming this group. The Martial Alliance is ultimately just a profit-driven organization, yet since its ideology is based on ‘justice,’ there must be at least a minimal standard to uphold. But the leader of the opposing Martial Alliance has crossed that line repeatedly.”

Baek So-pyeong quietly reflected on himself in the cup of liquor.

“Not just undermining, but he’s genuinely power-hungry. He pretends to be nice, but behind the scenes, he’s constantly moving his pieces. Using people to pressure other martial houses or businesses, endlessly creating situations to his advantage. And he doesn’t care if someone else suffers in the process. Namgung Hyuk. That guy is like a snake. He loves to manipulate and control the board how he likes, but he doesn’t want to incur even the slightest loss. If someone has to suffer, it better be someone else, not him. That kind of person has been sitting in the position of Martial Alliance Leader for over a decade… someone must pull him down, don’t you think?”

“Does that mean the new Martial Alliance is different from him?”

“It’s the least worst choice. It has that kind of feel to it. It’s much better than the other side – that’s what I’m saying. Big picture-wise… we differ from the Former Martial Alliance. At the very least, we act with affection at the tip of our swords. Even if harm occurs, we move in a way that minimizes damage to others. However, if you’re asking me if we act out of personal greed…”

Baek So-pyeong lifted his cup.

“Dan Ri Jin Su is also a politician at the end of the day. I would like to share more in-depth thoughts, but… Well, it’s hard to speak ill of the leader of the place I’m part of… sigh. Tsk. I’ll just have a drink.”

Liquor flowed down my throat. The world wobbled for a moment.

It was sweet. The flavor that flowed down my tongue was indescribably delightful.

But it fiercely shook my entire body, without stopping at just my stomach. It felt like swallowing a wave.

“…Kuhuh.”

What bliss. Truly. Baek So-pyeong prepared his next question.

“Are you stronger than me?”

Not just due to the intoxication, but it was sincerely something I wanted to ask since we first met.

He simply responded.

“We can only know once we clash swords. If one could defeat everyone with mere sparring, then warriors would no longer exist in this world.”

“Seems like you’re avoiding the question.”

“I believe you know it too, elder, that such matters can only be discerned through actual combat.”

That was indeed true. I had worded my question poorly.

The amount of inner strength. The body capable of withstanding it.

Ultimately, one mistake can dictate life and death. That’s just how the world of swords is.

“It’s your turn now.”

“Does the new Martial Alliance see the Former Society as foes?”

“…Your questions have been strangely different from what I expected. No. You know what? I’m quite curious about you. I find it rather disappointing.”

“This question comes first.”

“…The Former Society is a bit of a hassle. They’re idealists. They’re people who forsake the overall picture for the sake of immediate justice. There have been several times when they disrupted the entire game. They’ve blocked the future path of the new Martial Alliance multiple times. But even so, the new Martial Alliance has never directly attacked the Former Society. Did that answer your question?”

Jeok-un nodded. Baek So-pyeong fiddled with his cup.

“I’d like to see your swordsmanship. That sword you’re carrying at your side. It’s a strange item I’ve never seen in my life… I’d really like to see it.”

“…Isn’t that a question?”

“This is also a similar feeling, isn’t it? Or else, you drink. I didn’t ask anything, I’m just asking to show it.”

Jeok-un remained silent for a moment. Then he reached out…

And took a drink.

The taste spread all around. But he remained still, calmly looking my way.

Impressive. Truly impressive. Baek So-pyeong admired genuinely. Look at that! While I was about to stumble, he’s downing it without a hint of change?

“…It seems the night will be quite long, having met an extraordinary drunkard.”

“Let’s continue.”

The night deepened. Baek So-pyeong gulped down three questions he couldn’t answer.

The world swayed. And within that, his last question was thrown.

“Is the new Martial Alliance self-righteous?”

Yes. All those convoluted words would end up condensed into that one sentence.

With the intoxication yet unwashed, my tongue stumbled. But even so, I could speak.

If asked whether I’m self-righteous…

Baek So-pyeong could answer.

He himself. He knew nothing of politics well. But he didn’t hold himself responsible either.

Managing one Taoist was already hard enough; how could he manage anything more? If asked whether he could maintain the order of the entire martial world, he could shake his head vigorously.

He is a warrior…

Far from politics.

That’s why he had made this choice. In the present situation.

“…Didn’t I say so?”

Baek So-pyeong let out a deep sigh.

“I merely chose the least worst option.”

He drank the fifth cup without answering the question, but for himself.

It was a question that begged to be intoxicated.

…

I expressed my gratitude to Cheongeop, who was consuming the liquor without restraint. If not for Cheongeop, I might have faced the same fate as the warrior before me.

A proper exchange of information. He was mostly curious about me, but the questions I held were primarily about the new Martial Alliance.

I kept our conversation vague while revealing as little of my information as possible.

And as a result, I gleaned quite a bit of information.

To put it plainly, the new Martial Alliance wasn’t a righteous place.

It was closer to an interest group that engages in word play while putting ‘justice’ out front, akin to the Martial Alliance before it.

Dan Ri Jin Su.

A group revolving around him, “so far still righteous.”

“…Is it time to go?”

The next day, I requested a private meeting with him. And Dan Ri Jin Su accepted.

In the silent room.

We stared at each other across a table.

“Long time no see.”

“Indeed. It has been a while.”

Such things had happened before.

But now, it was different than back then.

Both he and I had changed.

Our positions had shifted.

 

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