Chapter 383 : Over Spring Herbs and a Drink

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor/Quality Checker/Notes : Saphartlantis

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Chapter 383: Over Spring Herbs and a Drink

Seo Daeryong stepped out of the building and let out the breath he had been holding.

To think he had fallen asleep in the Evil Smiling Demon's room. It still didn’t feel real, like he was in a dream.

He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten out of that room and made it here. Regardless.

‘I survived!’

Seo Daeryong looked up at the pouring sunlight. It felt like he had barely escaped a battlefield alive.

‘No matter what, how could you leave me behind like that?’

Just then, one of the Faceless Swordsmen guarding the entrance to the building spoke to him.

“The Young Cult Leader left a message for you to stop by his residence.”

“Thank you.”

Seo Daeryong quickened his pace toward Geom Mugeuk’s residence.

‘Even if you tell me not to come, I will. I challenge you to a duel. Master must have expected this and opened my Ren-Du Meridians!’

Like the wind, Seo Daeryong raced forward and burst into Geom Mugeuk’s residence, shouting.

“Let’s have a match!”

In that moment, Seo Daeryong flinched and turned white.

As he saw the person who turned around in the yard, he shouted before he could stop himself.

“Oh no!”

The person who had turned was none other than So Yeonrang. He had just challenged the One-Slash Sword Supreme to a duel. 1

“Branch Leader Seo?”

“Sword Supreme!”

Seo Daeryong respectfully performed a fist salute, and So Yeonrang returned the greeting with the appropriate courtesy for a Branch Leader.

“You want to spar with me? I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Completely immersed in martial arts training, she would run a thousand miles for a proper duel.

“No, no. I wasn’t talking to you, Sword Supreme.”

“Then were you speaking to the Young Cult Leader?”

He couldn’t bring himself to answer that he had. He thought he had left the battlefield behind, but now found himself on a different one.

‘Ah! I fell into a double trap!’

With such thoughts turning in his head, he failed to notice that the One-Slash Sword Supreme was watching him with admiration.

He was no longer the same man from when she first saw him.

‘Has there ever been a demonic cultivator who grew this fast?’

Moreover, there was something crooked yet vivid in his eyes. Naturally, one person came to mind. In his younger days, Gu Cheonpa had given off the exact same feeling. With the saber at his side, the resemblance was even stronger.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk came out from inside holding a bowl of water.

“Our Branch Leader Seo has grown so much. It’s about time he sparred with the Sword Supreme.”

Seo Daeryong frantically waved his hands in denial, moving so fast his hands were a blur.

“No, you misunderstand, please, that’s not what I meant!”

Seo Daeryong shot Geom Mugeuk a glare with his eyes.

‘Are you seriously doing this to me?’

Geom Mugeuk handed the water to So Yeonrang.

“We’re close, so I like to mess often with Branch Leader Seo.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme smiled. Of course, she already knew about the close relationship between the two. So when Seo Daeryong declared a challenge earlier, she knew it was directed at Geom Mugeuk. It wasn’t strange at all. After all, this very Geom Mugeuk was also the kind of person who got along casually with the tavern owner of Maga Village.

On that note, So Yeonrang bid farewell to Geom Mugeuk.

“Thank you for the match today.”

“Not at all. I learned a great deal.”

If only that had been the case. In truth, Geom Mugeuk was growing faster than she was. What the Fist Demon King felt standing before a cliff, she felt every time they crossed blades.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme also said her goodbye to Seo Daeryong.

“Let’s meet again, Branch Leader Seo.”

“Until then, please take care, Sword Supreme.”

Just as she was about to leave, So Yeonrang suddenly added, as if she had just remembered something.

“Ah, right. I heard that the flower pot I once gave the Young Cult Leader as a gift is now being taken care of by you, Branch Leader Seo.”

Seo Daeryong flinched the moment the flower pot was mentioned out of nowhere.

“Is it still alive?”

“Of course. Iinja is growing well.”

She’s taller than me in our office. That thing’s the top dog! 2

But the One-Slash Sword Supreme hadn’t brought it up to tease him. Her gaze deepened.

“Just like that flower bud is starting to bloom, so too will you, Branch Leader Seo.”

It was a word of encouragement, an expression of expectation that Seo Daeryong, now someone to take notice of, would soon make a name for himself as a martial artist. That was why she had brought up the flower pot.

AfterSo Yeonrang left, Seo Daeryong turned to Geom Mugeuk, still dazed, and asked,

“She just complimented me, didn’t she?”

“Sounded more like a warning not to kill the plant to me.”

“Young Cult Leader!”

Finally, Geom Mugeuk smiled and nodded.

“The Sword Supreme has officially acknowledged you.” 3

The rush of emotion flickered across his eyes for a moment, but Seo Daeryong immediately launched into a complaint.

“So what? My life is over now. Do you even know what it feels like to wake up and have the Evil Smiling Demon staring right at you? Have you ever heard that before in your life?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the sentence ‘When are you leaving’?”

“I’ve never been such a burden to anyone, so no.”

“Well, thanks to a certain someone, I got to hear that line from the Evil Smiling Demon. It’s a stressful thing to hear even from a regular person. Ah! My life is ruined. How could you do this to me! You just left me behind?!”

“I didn’t plan to.”

“Yes, you did. You were totally looking forward to that moment when I opened my eyes and locked eyes with him!”

“If that were true, I’d have hidden by the window to watch.”

“Oh? That actually makes sense.” 4

Seo Daeryong blinked. The Young Cult Leader he knew would absolutely have done that.

“We got word in the morning that the Sword Supreme would be visiting.”

“Then you should’ve woken me up and brought me out with you.”

What came next was shocking.

“Soma-nim stopped me.”

“What?”

“He saw how soundly you were sleeping and told me to let you rest.”

Seo Daeryong was stunned.

“Really? No way!”

He couldn’t believe it, but judging by Geom Mugeuk’s expression, it didn’t seem like a lie.

“Why would the Evil Smiling Demon do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he likes you?”

“But seriously, why?”

“I told you—I don’t know.”

Though he said it that way, Geom Mugeuk could guess. Seo Daeryong, once a mere investigator, had become the Leader of the Underworld Pavilion and the personal disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon—surely a life that would have caught the interest of Soma. Of course, perhaps it was also because he knew how much he was cherished by Geom Mugeuk.

Seo Daeryong looked down at the white mask he was holding.

“Then… was this gift also given out of goodwill?”

“Ask him directly next time.”

“Next time?”

He was about to wave his hands dismissively and say there wouldn’t be a next time—but he stopped himself. Was it because they had spent the day together? Or perhaps because of what Geom Mugeuk had said? The Evil Smiling Demon didn’t seem as frightening as he was yesterday.

“That can’t be… Who am I anyway.”

With his head bowed, Geom Mugeuk spoke in a calm tone.

“You’re a ruthless power-seeker, yes, but also a real man who loves only one woman. A rebel who raises his hand when everyone else remains silent. A pacifist. A man who changed the course of his life with a single drink at a tavern. The winner of the martial arts tournament, and—my right arm—with an eye for hidden details.” 5

That final remark, “with an eye for hidden details,” was a reference to a joke they had shared in the past, when Seo Daeryong discovered the Ultimate Poison Pill hidden away. 6

“You still remember all of that.”

“It’s how I introduce you. Of course I remember.”

Seo Daeryong’s chest swelled with emotion.

The man standing before him never gave him a moment’s rest. Always asking: Isn’t there more to this relationship? Isn’t there something waiting just a little farther down the road? Always pushing his back, pounding on his heart, telling him not to tire of the bond they shared. Not to sink into the swamp of stagnation.

He was someone who always joked around and left him flustered, but behind those words and actions, there was always something deeper.

Even what had happened just yesterday and today made that clear. In a single night, he had forged profound ties with two Demon Supremes. If it hadn’t been for Geom Mugeuk, how could he have connected with them so naturally? Would he even have had the chance to exchange a single word with them?

It was the kind of moment where Geom Mugeuk could have boasted a bit—but instead, he was washing up and changing clothes, hurriedly preparing to go out again.

“Where are you off to now?”

“If this cult were only as big as the Three Demon Supremes, I wouldn’t be this busy.”

Meeting with a Demon Supreme was, in itself, a form of tripartite diplomacy—and at the same time, martial training. At this point in his cultivation, a single joke exchanged with a Demon Supreme could reveal new insights in martial arts.

“Did you tell the Sword Supreme everything that happened while you were out too?”

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“You’re really diligent.”

He had to be. He had seen it time and again—how the one who stays on guard is always at a disadvantage. Those who plotted and schemed would look for cracks, digging persistently into any weakness.

“You really must be the busiest Young Cult Leader in history.”

“You’ve got plenty to do too, don’t you?”

“Me?”

“When they arrive, we need to show them that our cult is properly disciplined. And the person most responsible for that is you.”

As Seo Daeryong nodded with a serious expression, messenger falcons flew overhead in rapid succession.

He also saw one flying in the opposite direction. There were clearly more wings in motion than usual.

“It’s begun, hasn’t it?”

To Seo Daeryong’s question, Geom Mugeuk gave a nod.

While the two of them were speaking here on the ground, the exchange of military messages for the tripartite meeting was flying busily across the sky.

*         *         *

Song Sa-hyuk’s reaction was not what he had expected.

Normally, it would have gone something like this:

—So I’m the last to arrive again. Sure, I’m just the fish that’s already been caught. No, not even a fish—I’m the decorative rock at the bottom of the tank, huh?

But today’s response was different.

“You’re here?”

What was this relaxed reaction supposed to mean? Was he sober or something? Even though the smell of alcohol was still thick in the air?

“What’s this? Are you smiling like that because you need to laugh a certain way to use the final secret move of your clan’s martial arts?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“You’re not mad I got here late?”

“Why would I be mad when my most cherished little brother just arrived?”

I took a step back.

“Who are you? So it wasn’t just the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme they targeted.” 7

“Sit down. It’s been a while. Let’s drink all night.”

“This is weird. Really weird.”

At that moment, Lyu Bin, one of the Three Great Drunkards, brought over food.

And that’s when Geom Mugeuk saw it. The moment the Drunken Demon gave her a quick glance, he could tell—he understood where this change had come from. There was a subtle current flowing between the two.

‘Something’s going on between them!’

As soon as Lyu Bin stepped away, Geom Mugeuk asked Song Sa-hyuk directly,

“Something happened between you and that martial artist, didn’t it?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re going to tell me anyway, right? So start with what you want to say. Go all in.”

“If I spill the beans the moment you arrive, won’t I seem too frivolous?”

“Don’t worry. You’re sitting in front of the most talkative man on Earth. So what happened?”

Then, the Drunken Demon told him what had happened.

“I was drinking alone in a boat floating on the lake, and she flew in and landed on it. Said we should have a drink.”

“And?”

“She challenged me to a drinking contest.”

That was completely unexpected.

“Oho! That’s cool. A woman challenging the Drunken Demon to a drinking contest.”

The story continued, even more intriguing.

“So I said, ‘Do you even know who you’re challenging to a drinking contest?’ She said she did. Then I asked, ‘What are we betting?’ ‘Let’s grant a wish to the winner.’ ‘That’s such a childish wager. Are you scared?’ ‘Of course not!’ So it was on.”

He poured his empty glass full again. As if the memory of that day returned to him, Song Sa-hyuk’s gaze grew deep as he downed the drink.

“She was a great drinker. Well, considering she’s one of the top three among all drunken demons, it’s only natural. But when she really put her mind to it, she drank even better than I expected. The two of us drank every bottle in this pavilion. When we ran out, we opened the wine cellar and kept drinking there.”

Just imagining that scene, it must have been a sight to behold.

“And the result?”

“What do you mean? Of course I won.” 8

I shook my head in disbelief.

“You won? You heartless man. You’ll be the death of me.”

“Maybe if it were some other kind of wager—but how could the Drunken Demon lose a drinking contest?”

“So? Did you make a wish?”

“I did.”

“What did you wish for?”

Song Sa-hyuk silently stared at his empty glass.

I knew he wasn’t someone who would easily give his heart to a woman. Please, don’t let it be something like ‘Don’t ever do this to me again’...

“I told her, ‘For our next drink, bring spring herbs you cooked yourself for snacks’.” 9

“!”

A bright smile spread across my face.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’re cool, brother.”

I filled his glass to the brim.

“You’ve never looked better since the day I met you. You were always so pathetic. But now you finally seem like a real man.”

“So now you admit you’ve always looked down on me.”

The Drunken Demon smiled and raised his glass to toast mine.

Lyu Bin, who had liked Song Sa-hyuk for so long, must have laid everything on the line that day. She must have been so nervous.

No one knew how their relationship would unfold from here on, but at the very least, the Drunken Demon had understood her heart perfectly. 10

“These days, we just drink casually now and then, like friends.”

That drinking session must’ve brought him that new ease.

“This is all because of you.”

“Why me?”

“She said it was because of you and the One-Slash Sword Supreme that she got the courage. So Yeonrang was heavily influenced by you, right? So it’s all because of you. And you even influenced me.”

Yeah, it probably was because of me. I admit it. Ever since I returned through the Great Regression Technique, so much had changed. And among all those changes, this one was truly a pleasant one.

“When you’re drinking over spring herbs next time, invite me too.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Laughing at his smug and self-important tone, I emptied my glass.

Brother, just don’t come blaming me later shouting, ‘It’s all your fault!’—but in a different sense.

*         *         *

As I met with the Demon Supremes, I also threw myself deeper into martial arts training.

At the center of all my effort was always blood-sweating practice. Whether I met a Demon Supreme or not, I trained. If I met one, I trained. If I didn’t, I still trained.

The jokes and banter exchanged with a Demon Supreme only turned into hints for martial enlightenment because they were backed by endless layers of accumulated effort.

That moment when a single word sparks profound insight only comes when you’ve already built a towering and robust structure through painful toil. Without the tower, there’s no final ornament to place on top.

I continued refining the Heavenly Time Secret Art to gain more time, and within that space, I threw myself entirely into mastering the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

In that way, over twenty days passed—and finally, the day arrived.

A soldier from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion came to report to me.

“The date of the meeting has been set.”

It was set much sooner than I expected. Since all three leaders were firmly committed to the summit, things had progressed more quickly than anticipated.

I immediately made my way to Maga Village.

Just then, in the distance, I spotted Jo Chunbae stretching in front of the Flowing Wind Tavern. When he saw me, he greeted me cheerfully.

“Young Cult Leader, welcome!”

Not knowing what was about to unfold, he beamed at me—and I stepped toward him at a steady pace with a smile. 11

1 : Hahahaha, the jinx he have XDXDXD

2 : Remember that Iinja was named first in command in chapter 125 ^^

3 : I’m proud of his journey ^^

4 : Lol, no hesitation in agreeing XDXDXD

5 : It’s been quite a while since we had that description ^^ Shows how much Mugeuk roamed around this last hundred chapters.

6 : Chapter 219 and 220.

7 : Lol, but more seriously that’s a considerable change. It’s almost like sage mode, but I don’t think their relationship progressed this fast…. right ?

8 : No mercy at all XDXDXD

9 : Heeeeey, progress !!! Congrats Lyu Bin !!! ^^ Now you must hook him in via his stomach !!! Since his liver is stronger than yours….

10 : And he didn’t reject her directly, so that means there is hope ^^

11 : Hehehehe….. Jo Chunbae, here comes a new chapter for the amazing stories you will share with your grandchildren ^^

* : For those who didn’t see it, Deltarune Chapter 3 finally came out !!! Out of nowhere too ^^

I also played Look Outside (well really, I watched Manly play, but it’s the same thing), I liked the final ending. Feeling hope in a cosmic horror media is so rare after all. For those who are interested, I suggest watching the ‘Look Outside Animatic | Mr Blue Sky’ to get a quick, wholesome idea ^^