Chapter 33: How Can One Forget Without Drinking (2)

Han Do-hyeon had very bad drinking habits.

So much so that Yu Seolhwa had advised him never to touch alcohol.

First, he lost all inhibitions. The hesitation visible in his usually cautious demeanor disappeared.

Second, he couldn't write when drinking. The content would blur as if white fog filled his mind.

Because of this, in reality, Han Do-hyeon showed abstinence from alcohol except on Seolhwa's death anniversary.

"Hah...!"

But now he had broken that rule.

The man exhaled hot breath while smiling. Watching Bing Yeon move as if dancing, Azazel sighed.

"......"

She wondered if becoming this man's disciple had been the right choice. She had followed him partly because there had been no news of Kang Si-woo even after waiting years at the monastery.

"You said we just need to take the wine jar. I'll interpret that to mean we can break it too."

It seemed too simple a task. Subduing someone drunk and senseless should be obvious.

Azazel immediately moved her black tentacles to target the jar, but Bing Yeon barely avoided it by slightly tilting his body.

He recited verses from "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" while leisurely pouring wine into his mouth. Seeing this, Azazel thought it was luck and tried attacking faster.

"Rather aim for the acupoints. If you hesitate to break someone's limbs, that would be better to consider."

"You're just... talking big...!"

"I've heard that... *hic* too often."

Bing Yeon maintained his smile even while hiccuping from the alcohol.

Rather than using external energy to block his disciples' attacks, he showed strange movements where his upper and lower body moved separately.

The ultimate of flow (liu), creating an illusion like trying to cut water with a sword.

"Ugh...! Why won't our attacks hit!"

"Because they're too simple. You try to find openings by thinking hard, but variables not born from practical experience are just armchair theories."

Bing Yeon yawned widely as if bored. His face, relaxed from the alcohol, was enough to infuriate his opponent.

"Sister, let me help!"

At that provocation, Bi Wol joined in. She tried to restrain Bing Yeon from behind to block his movements.

She thought that even if he was skilled at deflecting attacks, he obviously couldn't do anything if his limbs were bound.

However,

"Bi Wol, didn't I just say you need to hide your energy when approaching?"

As if knowing Bi Wol's strategy, Bing Yeon immediately tripped her feet, making her fall. It happened because she couldn't read his suddenly changing movements.

"To catch me now, you'd need to call at least the Beggar Sect leader. So don't worry too much."

Thud - just before her face hit the ground, Bi Wol barely avoided critical injury by rolling. She ground her teeth while looking up.

Why couldn't she reach Master? She had thought they were at the same level currently.

'Even at the same threshold of the pinnacle realm, there's this much difference...?'

Bi Wol couldn't understand the cause of her weakness. She had defeated the Heart Demon with Master and had become honest about her hesitant love.

Perhaps that had become poison instead.

"Will Master only avoid or counter our attacks until we realize and fix our weaknesses ourselves?!"

"Yes, because the enemies you'll face will see through all these weaknesses."

Bing Yeon laughed loudly as if her words were correct.

What they would face at the Dragon Phoenix Branch Meeting were the protagonists who fought the final bosses in the original works. Moreover, there would certainly be support from Seolhwa helping them.

Like using drunken fist style now, they needed aspects that the self-proclaimed avid reader Outer God couldn't read. Using settings or plot hooks that only the author, not the reader, knew about.

"This is breaking form, what we call breaking the mold."

Reciting words Seolhwa often told him, Bing Yeon was passing on teachings to his disciples who were like his daughters.

"Don't just stand there watching, help us other sister!"

Bi Wol shouted at Verdandi. Unlike the two fighting hard with Bing Yeon, she had been standing still, just watching their movements.

"Hmm, you need my help!"

After watching the evenly matched power balance for a while, Verdandi raised the corners of her mouth softly and joined the battle.

She had been reading Bing Yeon's movements to understand the profound principles of drunken fist style, composed of numerous feints.

"Oh, you reduced unnecessary movements. Aiming for a vertical slash at the northern opening I created..."

Clang─!

Verdandi's holy sword aimed for Bing Yeon's head, which he blocked with a wall of ice.

"The Six Harmonies Sword Technique would suit you."

Bing Yeon's eyes curved like crescent moons seeing her streamlined sword path.

What Bing Yeon was trying to teach now was the Flower Mountain Sect's unique sword technique, designed to block all directions using the six harmonies.

Surprisingly, Verdandi was the first to complement her weakness. She was the only one who purely accepted Bing Yeon's advice.

"After reading the direction of your opponent's attack, focus on basic sword movements - blocking, thrusting, cutting, and deflecting. Use footwork when adding variations to your sword."

Bing Yeon spoke as if praising her. Unlike internal energy cultivation techniques that required building power, what made these third-rate techniques fearsome was that anyone could learn them.

"Understood!"

Kwang─!

Verdandi's fierce kick grazed Bing Yeon's side, and the wind pressure disrupted his balance. Seizing that opening, she immediately thrust toward the wine jar.

"Where are you- this is too obvious. Aiming for the north again."

Pababak─!

Bing Yeon stood on his hands then used a kick to retrieve the wine jar. Everyone's eyes widened at his handstand that flowed as naturally as water.

"...Sister, would you lend me that sword?"

Seeing the first effective hit, Bi Wol made a proposal to Verdandi. The holy sword emanating pure white light in her grip.

With that, she could perfectly imitate the swordsmanship she had shown when fighting the Heart Demon.

"This can only be used by the chosen hero!"

At that proposal, Verdandi shook her head in refusal. If Bi Wol, who was wrapped in dark red demonic energy like a demon king, were to grasp it, something terrible could happen.

"The holy sword will surely react negatively! You might get burns on your hands!"

"Sister, don't you want to defeat Master?"

For the first time, Bi Wol suppressed her emotions and chose to cooperate with others to defeat their master.

"To preserve Master's health as much as possible, it might be better if we win quickly."

Even though he was using minimal internal energy through the flow principle of drunken fist style, Bing Yeon was living on borrowed time due to his Nine Yin Blocked Meridians.

Bi Wol brought out this orthodox argument to persuade Verdandi. If successful, they could even tease their master about doing something foolish while drunk.

"Since it's not a lie, I like it!"

"Thank you, sister."

The holy sword was thrown with a whoosh, spun several times in the air, then fell into Bi Wol's grip. The light-emanating sword trembled as soon as it touched her hand.

Kwaaaa─!

With a thunderous roar and crimson whirlwind, it changed in color and form. A form worthy of being called a demon sword rather than a holy sword.

"Oh, this is mysterious."

"......"

Bing Yeon could only close his mouth watching that sight.

Originally, this was the form of the holy sword used by Verdandi after becoming the demon king in the latter half of "A Hero Must Die." But why did it transform as soon as Bi Wol grasped it?

"I'll have to show a bit more of my real skill."

Thinking he could no longer win easily, Bing Yeon sighed while emptying all the remaining wine into his mouth.

In a world where works were connected, was even this possible?

Since there was a Bing Yeon who used both aura and internal energy, it wasn't completely impossible.

* * *

Thus, I was using techniques to teach the Three Talents Sword Technique to Bi Wol, the Six Harmonies Sword Technique to Verdandi, and the Six Harmonies Fist to Azazel.

'According to Seolhwa's hint, the Outer God would have difficulty predicting such variables.'

Using character backstories that only the author, not the reader, knew about.

I thought if they learned third-rate martial arts and became stronger, there might be a chance to defeat Seolhwa.

Called third-rate because anyone can learn them.

Called third-rate because anyone can become strong with them.

And called third-rate because ordinary people cannot easily comprehend them.

'That one doesn't know there are those who reached the ranks of the strong by solely mastering the Three Talents Sword Technique, like the Infinite Sword Emperor.'

In my swaying vision and floating sensation, I continued avoiding my disciples' attacks.

However,

"I won't let go now...!"

"Quite sharp. Though being too hasty is still a problem..."

It seemed I had reached my limit now.

Among them, Bi Wol was swinging a demon sword at me. How was she using a weapon that should have been wielded by Verdandi, the hero who had fallen to become a demon king?

'Originally, I hadn't set this up. Is this also something the world adjusted for plausibility?'

I nodded while thinking.

The karma of the Killing Star that required killing to live from birth - Bi Wol was like a demon king born to destroy the world.

"Now you're engaging in hand-to-hand combat, good choice, Azazel."

"That's because you won't give up that wine jar!"

And now Azazel too seemed to have realized how to use her tentacles.

Watching her bundle multiple black tentacles together to use as clubs, I paid even more attention to my movements.

One misstep and I would lose immediately.

"...Verdandi, I have no more advice. Keep improving."

"Thank you! But in the actual tournament, aren't we not supposed to hurt people?"

That's right. That's why there are regulations about using wooden swords instead of real ones, and not using killing techniques.

"The opponent probably won't care about such things."

By my prediction, they would try to deal with the final bosses by persuading the original protagonists.

That was the ending of the novels that the avid reader Outer God hadn't seen. They would think it's right for the original protagonists to win.

"They'll try to kill you using every possible means."

I blocked Bi Wol's demon sword with my hand and released cold energy to turn the ground to ice.

Then, using an ice-covered fist, I imitated someone.

"...This is the martial art of the one you must face, Bi Wol."

It was the stance of the Six Harmonies Fist used by Kim Hyul, the protagonist of "The King of the Vajra Fist" where the Heavenly Demon appears, later called the Fist King.