Absolute Regression

The next day, I arrived at the Underworld Pavilion.

The investigators and enforcement martial artists enthusiastically welcomed me back after a long time. Especially because of the capture of the Great Drunken Demon’s subordinate, the morale of the Underworld Pavilion was soaring high.

My office was well organized, just as it was when I left. The flowers in the pot by the window were growing well, indicating that Seo Daeryong had been managing the office diligently. 2

“Bring me all the pending tasks.”

“Anticipating that, they are already classified by order of importance on your desk. Here are the ones that require your direct attention.”

I thought there would be a lot of backlog, but the documents Seo Daeryong handed me were not as numerous as I expected.

Upon review, I realized that he had meticulously completed everything except for the tasks that required my personal handling. It reaffirmed that he managed the affairs of the Underworld Pavilion better than I did. He was also learning martial arts from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, so there was nothing to worry about.

‘You’re growing well, our next Pavilion Lord of the Underworld Pavilion.’

Seo Daeryong would never imagine that I was thinking this.

“Pavilion Lord, this arrived for you.”

“Who sent it?”

“It was sent by the Drunken Demon Supreme.”

Did he send something because we captured his subordinate? I had asked the other demon supremes about the Drunken Demon Supreme, and he moved before I did.

The investigator placed the box down and left.

As I was about to open the box, Seo Daeryong suddenly shouted.

“Be careful!”

“You scared me! Why?”

“I was going to say, what if it releases poison gas? But it wouldn’t make sense. He wouldn’t try to kill the Pavilion Lord over a subordinate who was just drunk and killed someone with a cart.”

“Of course not. I almost died of fright because of you.”

Inside the box, there was a single bottle of liquor.

“He sent alcohol.”

The moment I lifted the bottle, I was startled.

“He sent an empty bottle.”

The bottle was empty.

“Is it perhaps a valuable porcelain?”

“It’s just a common liquor bottle sold in the market.”

“Why would he send the Pavilion Lord a cheap liquor bottle? Is he trying to pick a fight?”

It was obvious why he would react this way. Why send an empty bottle?

“This is the Drunken Demon’s warning. To release his subordinate.”

“If that were the case, he would have sent a broken bottle. Or a knife.”

“Then why did he send it?”

“Is there a need to ponder?”

I abruptly stood up.

“What are you going to do?”

“What else is there to do with the Drunken Demon?”

I took the bottle and left the office.

“I should drink.”

* * *

Holding the liquor bottle in one hand, I entered the Great Drunken Forest where the Drunken Demon resided. Since I had informed them of my visit in advance, a martial artist was waiting to guide me.

I followed the guide into the Great Drunken Forest.

There were houses built everywhere, ranging from shacks to large estates. These houses, of various types, gave off a beautiful yet free-spirited vibe.

Particularly, there were numerous large and small breweries throughout the forest, and there were drinkers sitting on benches drinking or even lying down, drunk. It looked liberating if viewed positively, but it seemed like a mess if viewed negatively.

However, I knew. Although this place didn’t have as many subordinates as other demon supremes, it was a gathering of relatively more skilled individuals. The eyes of those who appeared drunk were not ordinary.

In the middle of the Great Drunken Forest, there was a lake.

In the center of the lake was a small island, where a pavilion was built for the Drunken Demon.

I headed there on a small boat.

The martial artist who brought me dropped me off on the island and then returned.

I slowly walked towards the pavilion. At the entrance, a woman greeted me with the door open.

“Welcome, Young Master. I am Lyu Bin.”

She, with her graceful demeanor, was an expert belonging to the three great drinkers, just like Guma Young whom I met last time.

“The Demon Supreme is waiting for you. Please follow me.”

I slowly entered.

The place she led me to was a tower named Tower of Drunken Dreams.

Upon ascending the tower, there was the Drunken Demon.

He was leaning back, asleep on a plush fur-covered chair.

The place reeked of alcohol. Dozens of liquor bottles were scattered everywhere. Some were knocked over, while others were standing.

But I could sense it. These bottles were not just haphazardly strewn about. If a fight broke out here, I instinctively knew that these bottles would all become his weapons. They could activate a formation. It was chaos, yet not chaos. 3

He had been described as easy-going by the One-Slash Sword Supreme and annoying by the Evil Smiling Demon. Now, he was showing me a new side. A drunk, asleep figure.

Drunken Demon, what dreams do you dream when you are drunk?

I stood for a moment, gazing at the sunlit lake beyond the Great Drunken Demon, then sat down about ten steps away from him. I placed the bottle of liquor I had brought in front of me.

At the presence of someone else, the Great Drunken Demon slowly opened his eyes.

Great Drunken Demon Song Sa-hyuk (宋思赫).

He was young and handsome. Among the members of our cult, he was considered one of the most handsome, and he had a youthful appearance that made him look much younger than his age. He seemed to have not shaved for a few days, but instead of looking messy, it added to his rugged charm because of his good looks.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he drank from the liquor in front of him and asked me,

“Care for a drink?”

His face overlapped with the last image I saw of him before the regression. His figure, reduced to bones and weakened.

When I returned to obtain the Secret Demonic Soul, the Great Drunken Demon was still alive. But he was merely holding onto life; it wasn’t truly living.

He had been bedridden for a very long time. Hobaek, the new Demon Doctor, diagnosed it as a disease caused by excessive drinking.

The Great Drunken Demon, dying from liquor?

This shocked everyone and became a subject of great ridicule for those who disliked him.

“Care for a drink?”

That was the first thing he said to me when he was lying on his sickbed. His first words to me then were the same as now.

As those words echoed in my mind, the vibrant image of the current Great Drunken Demon overlapped with his sickly face from the past.

“It’s a drink you would like.”

“No, thank you.”

He drank alone, indicating he wouldn’t force me.

“Why did you come now? Am I so unpopular among the Eight Demon Supremes?”

“The main character always appears last.”

“Am I the main character of your story?”

“The main character of my story is me. The Great Drunken Demon might be a helper or an adversary. How about in your story? What role do I play? Is it you who is the helper, or is it me?”

The Great Drunken Demon stared at me and then asked instead of answering.

“Do you like alcohol?”

“There was a time I did.”

“And now?”

“I drink enough to suit the atmosphere.”

“You’re still young, but you speak as if you have a story.”

At his amused reaction, I confidently replied,

“Is a young person’s story not a story?”

The Great Drunken Demon laughed. Seeing his handsome smile, I thought he must have made many women cry.

“What kind of alcohol do you like?”

“I haven’t drunk enough to develop a preference. I prefer something easy to drink over strong spirits.”

He was probing me with questions about alcohol.

His gaze was directed at the bottle of alcohol in front of me.

“What kind of alcohol did you bring?”

“Why do you assume it’s alcohol? It could be water, or it could be poison.”

At my response, he smiled and poured himself a drink. He didn’t ask me to pour it, nor did I offer to.

“Why do you think I sent an empty bottle?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you sent it to make me come and ask.”

“How did you feel when you received it? Be honest.”

“Honestly? You might get offended.”

“It’s fine.”

“Alright then. You’re definitely going to get mad.”

“I promise I won’t get mad. If I get mad, I’ll just drink. Don’t we have alcohol? Go ahead.”

“I thought, what the hell is this bastard up to?”

For a moment, the Drunken Demon flinched and then drank the alcohol in front of him.

“Good!”

He laughed happily as he put the bottle down.

“That’s why I like alcohol. When you drink, you forget everything and feel good.”

He spoke as if he had drunk an entire bottle when he had only had one glass.

“If you were so annoyed, why did you come?”

“Because it’s an opportunity to find out what kind of person you are. Whether you’re someone I can accept, someone who can achieve great things with me, or just a mere drunkard.”

The subtle demonic energy emanating from the Drunken Demon was something I had never felt before. As his demonic energy enveloped me, it felt like being drunk. My head spun.

I activated the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique. The dizzying sensation disappeared, and I regained my composure.

Seeing that my gaze remained steady, a look of surprise crossed the Drunken Demon’s face.

“Do you like alcohol, Drunken Demon?”

Enduring his overwhelming presence, I even threw a question back at him. The Drunken Demon withdrew his demonic energy.

“Do I like alcohol? Are you really asking the Drunken Demon that?”

“Isn’t it a question I should ask the Drunken Demon?”

“What do you mean?”

“You should ask a martial artist if they like martial arts, a musician if they like music, a painter if they like painting, and the owner of a tavern how they feel about selling alcohol. But shouldn’t we ask those questions at least once? So, let me ask again. Do you like alcohol?”

“!”

The Drunken Demon blatantly showed his emotion, as if to say, look at this guy.

“You’re really different from the rumors. I admit it. Of all the people I’ve met, you’re the furthest from the rumors.”

“I hear that too often. Whoever is spreading those rumors about me, I should catch them and give them a good scolding. If they’re going to spread rumors, they should at least get them right.” 4

“To deal with you, I need to drink. It’s hard to handle you when I’m sober.”

“Isn’t that something you should keep to yourself?”

“What’s the big deal about drinking?”

He downed several drinks in quick succession.

“What kind of alcohol is that? It must be something hard to find outside.”

“That’s one of the preconceptions about me. I can drink any kind of alcohol.”

As if to prove it, he tossed a glass of alcohol toward me.

The glass slowly floated through the air and stopped in front of my face.

I sniffed the alcohol.

“Ah, this drink is…”

“That’s right. It’s the drink from the Flowing Wind Tavern that you frequent.”

It implied he had been watching me.

“I’ll let go of my preconceptions.”

He was the one who retrieved the glass. The returning glass tilted in midair, and he opened his mouth below it to drink.

The empty glass dropped softly onto the table. It moved so smoothly that it made no sound.

Just by watching his skill with Void Telekinesis, I could gauge his abilities. It was such a clean move that it was hard to believe a drunk could perform it.

“You’re impressive too. You recognized the drink from the Flowing Wind Tavern just by its smell.”

“It’s because I’ve been drinking there a lot lately. Aren’t you the one who can recognize the taste of every drink in the world just by its smell?”

“How could anyone know all the drinks in the world?”

Despite his modest words, the Drunken Demon was famous for identifying all alcoholic drinks by their scent.

The Drunken Demon drank again. The more he drank, the redder his face became. I thought someone like him wouldn’t show any signs even after drinking a lot, but his face turned noticeably red.

“Drinking makes me feel good. Doesn’t it do the same for you?”

“It depends on who I’m drinking with.”

“The best drink is when you drink alone.”

“I don’t really know that world yet.”

“Oh my! You don’t know this paradise-like pleasure!”

That was a lie. When I lived as a wanderer, I drank alone often. At that time, alcohol was my friend, my escape, and my solace. It was also the devil that tempted me to ruin.

“You should have learned about drinking from me, the Drunken Demon.”

“You’re right. My father taught me wrong about drinking. I’ll let him know when I see him tomorrow.”

Knowing it was a joke, the Drunken Demon laughed and continued drinking.

As he drank more, his body started to tilt. He acted like an ordinary person who had too much to drink, spilling alcohol as he drank. It was hard to tell where the reality ended and the act began.

Although he appeared completely off guard, I didn’t think he truly was. In fact, now was probably the most dangerous moment to fight him. To engage him, I’d first have to sober him up. 5

“Now that I think about it, it’s a preconception to think that just because you’re the Drunken Demon, you can drink unlimited amounts of alcohol.”

“Because I’m the Drunken Demon, I drink moderately. Only those who don’t understand alcohol become senselessly drunk.”

“Absolutely right.”

“Second Young Master, have you ever fought while drunk?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Give it a try. It’s amazing. It loosens your tension, makes you less afraid. It even hurts less when you get hit. I’d say it boosts your fighting capability by thirty percent. I bet the masters recorded in martial arts history all fought while drunk.”

He looked at the alcohol in front of me.

“So, drink. Alcohol will give you strength. Alcohol will soothe you.”

Finally, I picked up the bottle I had brought. Slowly, I opened the cap.

“That won’t happen.”

At the moment the scent of the alcohol spread!

The Drunken Demon, who had been leaning back almost horizontally, suddenly straightened up. It was a drink he recognized.

I placed the bottle back in front of me without drinking and spoke calmly.

“I know very well how it feels to be a person lost in alcohol…”

1 : Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep ?

2 : The Almighty Iinja, new Pavilion Lady !!!

3 : Also, the opponent can stumble while stepping on the bottles. So many drunks get themselves killed by that….

4 : I agree, if your brother must really spread rumors, at least he should make sure they describe him as a madman for accuracy XDXDXD

5 : Drunken combat style is one of the most difficult to master/combat. The movements of the body are chaotic, the strength of the blows/footsteps are random, and the decision making itself is unpredictable. It takes a great master to pull it off perfectly. Or a great drunk.

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