Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: Drunk Tyrant Maniac
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Drunk Tyrant Maniac.
A madman who roamed the world of power in a drunken stupor.
His epithet alone would make one picture a wild-haired brute with a fierce, ruddy face.
But the reality was different.
The first thought that crossed Hyeok Mulin's mind upon facing the already-seated Drunk Tyrant Maniac was this:
'Well put-together.'
Though his features carried a somewhat rough edge, his hair was neatly tied back, his eyes sharp and clear, his robes impeccably dressed, and his build solid and sturdy.
He was a man not yet past his prime, with scarcely a wrinkle on his face.
Far from a lunatic lost to drink, he gave off the air of a seasoned merchant prince.
"Come, take your seats."
His voice was gravelly, but his tone polite enough that it was hard to believe he led the unorthodox Manju Association.
Thud.
Hyeok Mulin sat down indifferently amid those impressions, but Byok Jangho, seated across from him against the wall, shifted with a creak, his face taut with tension.
Smiling at the sight, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac spoke up.
"No need to be so tense. This is a gathering to honor the two heroes of the Manju Great Night Festival, isn't it? I've called you here just to wet our throats and chat. Relax."
"Haha... Understood. Thank you for your consideration."
Byok Jangho's movements softened a bit at the words, but he still couldn't fully let his guard down.
His host was the head of an unorthodox group that had a stranglehold on the world's famed liquors, after all.
With the three now seated in a triangle, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac said,
"Before we get into proper talk, then..."
Smoothly—
He picked up a bottle adorned with phoenixes and clouds, continuing,
"Let's have a drink."
Byok Jangho's eyes widened with curiosity at the sight of the bottle.
"Isn't this Five-Colored Phoenix Wine?"
"Oh, you know it? I waited thirteen years in Guangdong to finally obtain it."
"I've only heard about it from my father. First time seeing it in person."
"I see. Well, let's drink."
With that, he poured the Five-Colored Phoenix Wine for the two men.
Byok Jangho accepted it reverently with both hands, as if receiving a nugget of gold, careful not to spill a drop.
He inhaled its aroma, let out an admiring sigh, then took it to his lips and swallowed. His eyes bulged as he exclaimed in awe.
"Ah...!"
Hyeok Mulin followed suit, bringing the wine to his mouth.
And soon nodded.
Five swirling flavors, fluffy as clouds, danced on his tongue.
Once swallowed, the aftertaste evaporated like mist, vanishing swiftly.
In a word, it was on par with the Soju Byok Jangho had brewed before—a true masterpiece.
A wondrous brew worthy of a spot among the famed liquors collected by the Manju Association's leader.
And so, Byok Jangho declared at its finish,
"The best wine I've ever tasted!"
He showered it with praise, but Hyeok Mulin's verdict differed.
"Not bad."
To him, it fell short of the pinnacle.
It couldn't match the masterpieces he'd savored from Master Mangwoo in his past life.
"Not bad..."
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac's eyebrows twitched subtly as he continued,
"To rate Five-Colored Phoenix Wine so coolly... Your standards must be sky-high."
It was a first.
No one had ever stayed so composed after tasting it.
Most flew into raptures or gasped in awe. No one in his memory had given such a dry assessment—least of all Hyeok Mulin, whose face showed genuine thought, not feigned calm.
And so.
"Good. Then try this one."
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac produced the next: Rare Drunk Flying Dragon Wine.
A long dragon coiled around the bottle, proclaiming its noble pedigree.
A clear trickle poured with a crystalline sound as the glass tilted once more.
Yet Hyeok Mulin's response remained lukewarm.
"Decent brew."
"Heh. Same again."
Now roused to challenge, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac uncorked his prized bottles in succession.
He poured ten different masterpieces for Hyeok Mulin one after another.
But.
"This one's decent too."
The word "best" never passed Hyeok Mulin's lips.
Finally conceding defeat, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac asked,
"I surrender. I have no idea what you consider the world's finest, but I'd love to taste it someday."
It would take quite some time.
That was slated for the future Byok Jangho.
The exchange ended with the Drunk Tyrant Maniac's pride bruised, but rather than annoyance, he showed deeper interest in Hyeok Mulin.
"I've heard about you. Winner of the Dragon King Brew Battle and the Pure Brew Gathering."
"That's right."
"Winning one contest is hard enough. Hardly anyone takes both. You've got real talent."
Having praised Hyeok Mulin, he continued,
"But I hear at the Pure Brew Gathering's end, you downed a whole bottle of One Breath Soul-Severing Wine. Do you have a natural tolerance for poison?"
"To a degree."
"...To a degree."
He'd quaffed a full bottle of One Breath Soul-Severing Wine without a hitch.
And dismissed it as "to a degree."
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac was so flabbergasted he let out a hollow laugh.
"I have a proposal for you."
His resolve hardened by the response.
"We're starting a new liquor business in the association. The area we're expanding into is..."
"Poison brews."
"Exactly. Until now, we've stuck to controlling famed wines, but now we're entering the poison brew market."
To Hyeok Mulin, it seemed a promising venture.
The Central Plains' poison brews were dominated by the Sacheon Tang Clan—and they were orthodox.
Unorthodox groups struggled to source their poisons, let alone potent ones.
If the Manju Association entered poison brew production in that climate?
The unorthodox side had virtually no competition. It was a business primed for success.
"That's why I'm proposing this to you."
Fixing Hyeok Mulin with a steady gaze, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac spoke clearly.
"Would you join the association as our poison brew appraiser? I'll pay you handsomely."
This was why he'd told Gabul, the event host, to report any standout talents.
He hadn't planned to entrust a vital new venture to an outsider he could discard at will.
He sought talent in digestion, fine taste discernment, poison resistance—various skills.
Gabul had ultimately recommended Hyeok Mulin over Cheonsu Myeong, the dual winner, deeming his abilities superior.
He hadn't expected much, but here was the perfect fit.
However.
"I must decline."
The blunt refusal made him swallow a groan.
Moments later, he drew a silver banknote from his robes and placed it on the table.
"Even if we pay you a silver note per day?"
Byok Jangho, listening quietly beside them, gaped.
A silver note per day—not even a monthly wage. Absurd from his perspective.
But.
"Even if you offered gold notes instead, my answer wouldn't change."
"Why is that?"
Irritation creased the Drunk Tyrant Maniac's brow.
He'd been prepared to go higher than gold notes if needed.
No one but him, outside the Sacheon Tang Clan, could handle it.
Yet this firm rejection demanded an explanation.
And the answer was simple.
"I already have a place I'm bound to."
"Ho."
Intrigued, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac eyed Hyeok Mulin.
And tossed out the next offer.
"What if I offered you vice chairman upon joining the Manju Association?"
Byok Jangho nearly popped his eyes out.
No one could've predicted he'd propose vice chairman on the spot, no matter how highly he rated Hyeok Mulin.
It was a position right below the Drunk Tyrant Maniac—one of the Three Saints Drunk One, floated as a candidate for Ancient Martial Lord.
Plus the Manju Association's ties to the Four Black Alliances guaranteed meteoric rise.
But even so.
"My mind's made up."
Hyeok Mulin stood firm in refusal.
"...I see."
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac gave him a pitying look, then tilted his cup.
Meeting that gaze, Hyeok Mulin caught it.
A flash of greed in his pupil.
"Understood. I'll respect your choice."
Shelving the proposal with regret, he spoke no more to Hyeok Mulin.
Instead, he conversed solely with Byok Jangho about his background and the Falling Star Wine that had won him Great Night Brewmaster.
"Can you brew Falling Star Wine for me?"
"Of course."
Byok Jangho uncorked the brought bottle and carefully poured for him and Hyeok Mulin.
"...!"
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac sipped at once and couldn't hide his shock.
Among all the wines he'd tasted, none matched this sensation.
Hyeok Mulin, tasting it too, wore a pleased expression.
He was growing.
Since meeting Hyeok Mulin, he'd advanced at an astonishing pace.
It wouldn't take long to reach the heights once called Master Mangwoo.
Gulp.
As Byok Jangho awaited judgment tensely, Hyeok Mulin nodded.
His face bloomed into a grin—then the Drunk Tyrant Maniac's sunken voice rang out.
"You."
"Yes."
"How much to buy you out?"
"...Pardon?"
Byok Jangho blinked in confusion.
"I'm saying I'll take all the masterpieces you brew from now on."
Having tasted Falling Star Wine, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac was convinced.
He would become the world's greatest brewer.
And so, he aimed to bind not just his wines, but Byok Jangho himself to the Manju Association.
However.
"I appreciate it, but I've already granted distribution rights to another."
Thinking of Hyeok Mulin steadied his tremor, and Byok Jangho replied calmly.
"Already granted rights?"
Someone had scouted his talent first?
Caught off guard, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac pressed.
"Who?"
"Hyeok the hero, right here."
His gaze shifted to Hyeok Mulin.
'Him again.'
First, for dismissing his collection of masterpieces.
Second, for rejecting the vice chairman seat.
Third, for spotting Byok Jangho's value first.
In a single drinking session, one man had irked him thrice—the first time in his life.
"Hoo..."
Sighing, his eyes returned to Byok Jangho.
"You. Won't you break that deal and come to me now?"
"I'm sorry. My mind's set."
Byok Jangho refused without hesitation.
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac shot him a regretful look and parted his lips.
"I see."
Twice rejected in one day.
Such humiliation since becoming Manju Association chairman.
Thud!
Finishing, he slammed three bottles onto the table.
Red-flecked Fire Wine.
Blue-flecked Azure Wine.
Black-flecked Dark Wine.
Untying his bound hair, the Drunk Tyrant Maniac downed the Fire Wine in one go.
Gulp gulp—
He smashed the empty bottle down, then chugged the Azure Wine.
After that, he threw back his head and drained the Dark Wine, finally setting the last bottle aside.
Crash!
Byok Jangho gulped amid the sudden shift and frozen air, glancing warily between them.
Whoosh!
The Drunk Tyrant Maniac's twin blades shot toward Byok Jangho like lightning.
However.
Clang!
The blades halted before their target, right in front of his eyes.
And what had blocked them was.
"You hold your liquor poorly."
A single sword lowered before Byok Jangho.
Its wielder: Hyeok Mulin.