Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Chapter 10: Small Incident (3)
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"The midterm exams are coming up soon, so things will get busy. How about we have a drinking party while we can?"
Yeom Gwang's words kicked it off.
- Sounds good!
A few instructors who always trailed after Yeom Gwang clapped like seals.
"Kuh. As expected of Squad Leader Instructor Yeom. You know exactly what we want."
"I've been dying to drink myself to death today."
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you all coming?"
Unlike the eagerly shouting veterans who had been waiting for this, the new instructors looked glum.
"Ah.... I don't wanna...."
"I've got plans. Guess I have to cancel?"
"Can't bail on my own."
A few timidly tried shooting glances of refusal, but...
"Don't you know a drinking party is just an extension of work?"
Everyone resigned themselves at Yeom Gwang's words.
The group headed to an inn not far from the Divine Martial Academy.
It was a shame to lose their evening, but it had been a while since they'd gone out.
The new instructors, especially those buried in work, seemed noticeably brighter just from walking the streets outside the academy.
And so the drinking party began.
Yeom Gwang lined up the new instructors and appraised them like livestock.
"New instructors, step forward one by one and introduce yourselves."
At Yeom Gwang's command, a skinny instructor stepped up and barked out his intro.
"Divine Martial! Bronze Hall Fist Technique Instructor Yeo Mak!"
"Oh. Starting with Yeo Mak?"
"That's right!"
"Then why does your voice sound so weak?"
"Gah!"
Following Yeo Mak, the new instructors shouted their introductions one after another.
"Bronze Hall new instructor Jo Hyun. I learned Eastern Nine Swords and was trained in the Justice Sect."
"I'm Yeo Mae-hong. I mainly use Divine Martial Swordsmanship, and my sect is..."
Finally, it was Chu Un-hwi's turn at the end.
"Chu Un-hwi."
Unlike the others reciting their sects and martial arts, it was curt.
Crickets.
They waited for more, but he ducked back in like he'd said his piece. Two instructors stepped forward.
"Instructor Chu. That's all?"
"Huh? What else is there?"
"Didn't you see your colleagues go before you? What martial arts did you learn? What's your sect? Special skills?"
"Martial arts...? Just whatever. Sect...? Pure Sword Sect, I think?"
He didn't even know his own sect?
Arrogant, with zero manners.
Yeom Gwang smirked, spotting a perfect opening.
"Hey, you think this is a joke? You little..."
"My specialty is drinking well."
Silence.
The room went dead quiet in an instant.
At the same time, curiosity lit up the eyes of the boozehound faction in the corner.
"Ho. You drink well?"
"You know what it means to brag about drinking in front of all us instructors, right?"
"Didn't anyone tell you to be careful boasting about booze around your elders?"
Like hyenas spotting prey, the drinkers' eyes gleamed.
They'd hijacked the spotlight from Yeom Gwang in a flash.
Chu Un-hwi replied confidently.
"Who's the best drinker here?"
"Ho? Wanna go head-to-head? Fine. One shot each with me."
"One won't cut it against me. Send your top three drinkers."
The bold declaration drew a collective "Waaah!" of admiration from the boozehounds.
"What a gutsy newbie."
"Haha, looks like he's gonna eat us alive today."
"Oh man, scary."
Despite their words, they looked delighted.
And rightly so—a drinking duel meant matching shots one-for-one. Challenging three meant downing three shots for their one.
How could they not admire the guts to outdrink three pros by triple margin?
"What do you say?"
Instructor Oh Gil, who had been forcing drinks on others, chuckled and rose with his massive frame.
"Can't back down from that."
"Instructor Woo Chil. Wanna duel me?"
Two men emerged, the type who thought losing at martial arts was inevitable, but losing at drinking ended your life.
Finally, Chu Un-hwi asked,
"Squad Leader Instructor Yeom. Care for a shot?"
Wooo!
Yeom Gwang's face hardened amid the giggling female instructors.
'This thunderbolt bastard!'
With all eyes on him, Yeom Gwang shot to his feet.
"Fine!"
Three against one.
A fight he couldn't lose.
'I'll make you crawl out on all fours this time.'
Chu Un-hwi smiled faintly.
"Can't have a bet without stakes. Loser pays the tab? Sound good?"
"You're on!"
The newbie versus the boozehound trio's duel began.
"Sh-shouldn't we stop that?"
Jo Hyun blinked at Yeo Mae-hong's words. He couldn't believe what was unfolding.
Clack.
"Next!"
Silence blanketed the room.
Over fifty bowls were stacked beside Chu Un-hwi.
Not cups—rice bowls.
A monster chugging the inn's strongest baijiu from saucers into bowls.
'How the hell does all that booze fit in that body...?'
Blood replaced by alcohol, maybe.
Thud!
"Next!"
Chu Un-hwi flipped the fifty-first empty bowl.
Instructor Woo Chil across from him trembled, saucer in hand.
His flushed face, pursed lips, puffed cheeks like a toad—everyone knew.
'He's done.'
'He's gonna blow right here!'
'At least make it graceful!'
Woo Chil knew his limit too, hand shaking as he tried to set down the saucer.
Then—
"Eh, thought you could handle pushing drinks on newbies, but you're all flops."
"Don't go bragging about drinking anywhere else. Embarrassing."
"Need help if it's too much?"
The taunts struck the whales' pride.
"You bastard!"
Woo Chil gulped it down, sanity gone.
His pupils lost focus.
And disaster struck.
"Urk!"
He spewed booze from nose and mouth, collapsing. The problem? Instructor Oh Gil beside him, covered in vomit.
Already at his limit, now his saucer overflowed with puke.
The sour stench mixed with baijiu's bite turned his stomach.
He hit his breaking point.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
A fountain erupted.
Vomiting food from mouth, booze from nose—the sight drove some onlooker boozehounds to flee.
Stomachs turned.
Yeom Gwang suffered worst, hit at the same table.
Raw baijiu refluxed up his throat, mind reeling.
'Fuck. Seriously!'
He mustered full inner power.
For a drinker, forcing out booze with qi was cheating, an unspoken taboo—but no choice.
He couldn't join that mess.
Face lost forever if he did.
As puke sprayed high and low, Yeom Gwang desperately suppressed it.
"Guh. Guh."
Veins bulging in his neck, holding on—
Trickle-trickle-pour.
Chu Un-hwi smirked, overfilling a saucer from the jug.
"This place has killer empty fritter pancakes."
His eyes caught Woo Chil's puke—bits like pre-fried pancake batter.
'Pancake house.'
Yeom Gwang's sanity snapped.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
He slammed his head on the table and hurled.
"Filthy bastards!"
A middle-aged man quietly drinking in the corner scowled.
Pale-faced in white robes, he gripped his sword hilt, reining in killing intent.
'Damn it. Been grating on me...'
The noise had annoyed him earlier.
But he'd endured—overheard useful Divine Martial Academy gossip amid the chatter.
The problem started with the drinking contest. Instant filth fest.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Seeing someone brace against the wall and spew buckets—no way he could hold it.
'Too gross.'
Kill them?
Patience thin as an unorthodox fighter.
Eyes everywhere, but he wouldn't lose.
He was beyond this place's level.
Verdant Blood Devil Kang Sok.
Calming his killing intent, he eyed those stumbling to the outhouse.
'Too messy for trouble. Kidnap a few, interrogate about the academy.'
Drunks—no effort.
"Squad Leader Yeom, was it...?"
Recalling the man as he rose—
Chill!
A spine-tingling shiver; Kang Sok whipped around.
The young man from the duel smiled there.
'He spotted me?'
Shaggy hair hid his gaze, but the intent was clear.
Didn't know how he'd pierced the disguise, but instinct screamed truth.
No time to hesitate.
'Scrap the kidnapping.'
Instinct warned: flee now.
Clatter.
Snatching his sword, Verdant Blood Devil Kang Sok bolted out.
"Hah! Hah!"
Kang Sok ran and ran.
He knew not to use lightness skill rashly to hide identity—but full throttle.
Leaping roof to roof, scaling walls, vaulting fences.
Dashing through the pleasure district's night maze.
"Hah! Hah!"
Full lightness for half a shichen already.
"Safe now?"
Relief at no pursuit—then,
"Why? Wanna run more?"
A voice.
Creepy.
Trembling eyes forward.
Moonlit under a fence wall.
A man leaned there, arms crossed.
As if he'd always been there, utterly natural.
'N-no one was there...'
Shiver-shiver.
Why so terrified?
"No more running? Got questions."
"Wh-who are you?"
"I ask. You answer."
Creepy.
Killing intent from the dark; Kang Sok released his sword.
Can't fight. 'That thing.'
Better confess all, beg mercy.
Crushing aura paralyzed him; he gave up fighting.
Then the question.
"Why's a Heavenly Demise Society dog sniffing around here?"
Freeze.
Kang Sok iced over.
'Knows the Society?'
He'd planned to spit fake pre-mission intel—but frozen.
"What? Weird?"
"I..."
Slash!
"Kuhk!"
Pain-twisted eyes to the ground.
His right hand flopped there.
"Gulp. Gulp."
Screamed to scream in agony. No voice.
The monster spoke.
"No lies in answers."
"Came to scout the Divine Martial Academy."
"Academy? Why?"
"Don't know details. Just an informant... Kuh."
Slash!
Now his whole right arm severed.
"Grrrrr."
Eyes bulged in agony.
No normal pain.
Trained spy wouldn't lose mind to this.
'That thing' did something.
From the dark, 'it' asked.
"Spit the truth. Want death? Lie. Want longer life? Truth."
Don't care either way.
I'll enjoy your choice.
What do you think?
The darkness whispered.