Absolute Regression Chapter 137

Episode 137: This is why I wanted to come.

In the flowing silence, Chwima realized one thing.

“Did you already know?”

“I expected that might happen. The brother I know is not the type of person to send a broken bottle of alcohol to a drunkard.”

“I thought you two weren’t on good terms?”

“Don’t you end up knowing more about people you hate than people you’re close to?”

The horse that had been staring at me suddenly sat up.

“Ah, I’m getting drunk.”

Then he immediately threw himself into the lake.

“You should also stop your habit of drinking and swimming!”

Despite my worries, Chwima swam well. He was skilled, but he knew how to swim happily. He dived, floated up to the sky, sped up and came back, and jumped like a dolphin and then dove in.

So, after a fun swim, Chwima returned to the boat.

“I’m finally starting to sober up a bit.”

Then I started drinking again.

“Are you drinking again after finally sobering up?”

“Aren’t you sobering up to drink again?”

I shouted to Yeo-bin, who was standing far away on the lakeside.

“Please bring us some snacks!”

Then, as if she had been waiting, Yeo-bin brought me some food in a boat. I had prepared it in advance, but it seemed that the drunkard had only brought me alcohol. As I was leaving after giving her the food, Yeo-bin bowed her head slightly to express her gratitude.

“Get into the habit of eating side dishes.”

“I haven’t eaten it in my entire life. Is that easy?”

“How can you live your life doing only what you want to do? You have to do what you have to do, even if you don’t like it.”

“Why are you so concerned about my health?”

I ate the snack with chopsticks. It was warm. It seemed like they were constantly warming it up so that I could have it at any moment.

“Is it only me who takes care of you, Master? Here, eat.”

Even though he was drunk, he ate the side dish reluctantly.

After drinking together, we looked up at the night sky.

“Ah, good!”

It was really good, like the exclamation of a drunkard. Floating on the lake here, drinking while looking at the stars, I really didn’t envy the immortals.

“Chwima, who was lying down and looking up at the stars, said:

“My dream is to drink and have fun. If the Magical War breaks out, this lake could turn red with blood. Then how can I sober up?”

The poisonous weapon hanging from the waist of the horse is called Bloody Tears. He is currently wearing the poisonous weapon called Bloody Tears and is saying such things.

“Are you serious?”

“It’s true. I want to live like this my whole life and then die.”

“Is that really why you want to be my person?”

“That’s right.”

“Then prove it.”

“How do you mean?”

“Please be reconciled with the elder of the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Sword.”

Chwima was startled by the unexpected suggestion.

“I’m serious too. From now on, you have to work hard to become my person. If you reconcile with Elder Bloodthirsty Doma and maintain good relations with the Evil Soma… … .”

After I drank the remaining alcohol, I said to him.

“I will be your equal partner, Master.”

There was silence again.

The horse that had been staring at me for a while finally opened its mouth.

“You really are an unpredictable person.”

“The unpredictable one is the master. He is surrounded by all sorts of preconceptions. On the contrary, I am rational. It is a trade-off between what I want and what the master wants.”

I asked, putting down the bottle after drinking it coolly.

“Was it a joke to ask me to be your brother and sister?”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

“It’s about becoming brothers with someone. You have to show this much sincerity. Oh, that person is doing something he really doesn’t want to do for me. He’s doing it even though he really doesn’t want to. He eats snacks and makes up with me. What can’t he say with words? Even the leader of the martial arts world is on my side.”

“If it were you, I might really roast you.”

I laughed in vain, and Chuma drank his alcohol.

“It’s not that I don’t want to reconcile.”

“sure?”

“Reconciliation with the Bloodthirsty Demon was impossible in the first place. Have you ever seen water and oil mix?”

“There’s no need to mix. Just float together.”

“What if someone sets fire to it?”

“It’s burning. If you really don’t like it, then just drink water. I’ll make oil for Mr. Doma. He’s a fiery person, so I’ll make oil for him.”

He was the type of person who would laugh at most jokes, but he didn’t laugh this time. He looked like he wasn’t really in the mood.

Looking at the way he treats me, I feel like he would at least smile on the outside and try to please the Bloodthirsty Demon.

I understand why Hyeolcheon Doma hates drunken people. He hated people who drank and got drunk in the first place.

But why does Chwima find this reconciliation so burdensome?

“There’s another reason why you approached me. Put aside the nonsense about peace in the martial arts world and tell me the real reason.”

Although he was angry at the harsh words, Chwima just drank his alcohol with drunken eyes.

“In terms of this kind of brother-sister relationship, my brother is enough.”

I leapt towards the ferry I had come on.

I could have told him not to go like this, but he never said anything. I looked at him as I pulled up to the lakeside. Chwima was drinking alone under the moonlight.

* * *

The next morning, I quietly left the school.

He left a letter to Seo Dae-ryong saying he would be out for a few days.

After the Fengshen Sabo reached the level of the Eight Stars, his body was so agitated that he couldn’t just sit still. He tossed and turned all night long because he wanted to fight the strong, but his desire was even stronger than that, the desire to run.

I know that I have to handle this desire well, especially with extreme martial arts like the Wind God Sabo.

There are many cases where people mishandle this desire and fall into a state of obsession with money or fight recklessly and end up dying. This often happens when a person who is not qualified learns martial arts that are above their level.

After I got out of the school, I started running at a brisk pace. I was running really fast. I didn’t even need to wear a mask so that no one would recognize me.

The speed of the run was so fast that I couldn’t even tell who I was, or if the person who had just passed me was a person, a bird, or an illusion. That was the speed. It was fast even during Chilseong, but it was different then.

Originally, this speed was only possible in open areas like plains.

But the path I was running on now had obstacles. There were carriages running, people passing by, trees, and rocks.

But thanks to Shinan-sul, I could run at this speed on any road.

Moreover, when you reach the level of Palseong, the amount of internal energy consumed actually decreases. You can now use martial arts more efficiently.

I ran until I ran out of energy, then I took a quick break and ran again. I’ve never run this excitedly in my life. Maybe it was because my destination was where the people I wanted to see were.

* * *

The Fengchun sect leader and Gowol were sitting in a crowded tavern. Several people came to their seats one after another, reported something, and left. There were men, women, young people, and old people.

Every time they passed by, Gowol was writing something down on a piece of paper.

“Why are you writing so meticulously? Even if I don’t contact you, you’ll think I’m working.”

At the words of the leader of the Pungcheon sect, Go-wol pretended not to hear and wrote a letter. It was a letter to be sent to Geom-mu-geuk.

Go-wol was busy creating an information network in the Central Plains under the command of the Geommu-geuk. Thanks to the presence of the Fengchun Sect Leader, the work was progressing smoothly.

In the process of working, the leader of the Fengchun sect was once again impressed by the abilities of Go-wol. He was forming an organization that operated differently from the existing Tongcheon-gak organization, and so he was making it possible to merge with Tongcheon-gak later. He had kept this in mind until Geommu-geuk became the leader.

So, it was more difficult, but it was the leader of the Pungcheon Church who made the process easier.

When the two joined forces, things progressed at breakneck speed. Of course, Go-wol had to endure the discontent of the leader of the Fengchun sect.

“Send it like that for 100 days, and see if you get a reply from Lee Gongja.”

“This is a report. Where do you reply to a report?”

“Why can’t we? If we have the heart, we can do it. Didn’t I? We would have ended up like that cult leader and those shackles back then. Just look at us, that’s how we are now. We’ve gone through all the hardships of coming to a foreign land.”

“Eat all the delicacies from each region. If you have time, go see the beautiful scenery. It’s really hard work.”

“It’s hard when you leave home!”

“Where is the leader’s house?”

For a moment, the leader of the Fengchun sect flinched. Gowol’s gaze shifted from what he had been writing down to the leader.

“The Cheonmasingyo isn’t the leader’s house, right? The leader’s house is here in the central plains. You sang the song, “Advance to the central plains, advance to the central plains,” right? Look around carefully. The leader’s house should be built somewhere here. Open your eyes wide and look!”

With nothing left to say, the leader of the Pungcheon Sect turned his arrow towards Geommugeuk again.

“Huh! We should build a house. The Duke of Yi has probably forgotten about us. He’ll probably feel a pang inside when he sees us later in the church. Oh! That’s right. Among my many subordinates, there was this idiot leader and the guy with the chains. Oh, but what was the name of the chains? No, even if they’re different, in the end, people’s hearts are all the same.”

“Hey, leader.”

“why?”

“Everyone is someone else’s cult leader, someone else’s shackles. People like Lee Gongja are not special to everyone, but everyone lives like this, being ignored to some extent. And it’s tiring to be special. A cult leader is better suited to live like this.”

“Are you ignoring me again? Ignore me again!”

Go-wol pretended not to hear and concentrated on writing again.

“You spent the whole day blankly staring at the sound of thunder and moving slowly, but now you’ve become so diligent. What on earth do you like about science and engineering so much that you’re making such a fuss?”

“What do you like about me so much that you followed me all the way here to make things difficult for me?”

The leader of the Pungcheon Church had no answer.

“Me too. Is there really any reason to explain? It’s just good. And after Lee Gongja, there’s the leader. So don’t be too disappointed.”

“Huh! There are only two people around you, and you’re the second? Aren’t you in last place?”

“Did you notice?”

“That crazy guy!”

Go-wol laughed, and the leader of the Pungcheon sect laughed along with him.

This kind of conversation was the joy of the two of them. They talked about the same things over and over again, gossiped about the sword dance drama, talked about the past, and talked about things that would happen in the future. They talked about the same things over and over again every day.

“This is proof that you are really close. Even if you keep talking over and over again, you can listen to him comfortably. You can’t talk about this with Lee Gongja, right? Isn’t it uncomfortable? That’s proof that you’re not close with Lee Gongja. No, Lee Gongja is busy showing off here and there, so he doesn’t have time to listen to you.”

It was at that very moment that someone suddenly spoke behind the leader of the Pungcheon Church.

“You said you were a scholar until the end.”

When the leader of the Pungcheon Church turned around in surprise, I was standing there smiling.

“So you meant to say that you would curse at me until the end?”

The leader of the Pungcheon Church and Gowol were startled and jumped up.

“Your Majesty!”

“Scholar of engineering!”

I still smiled and said to the leader of the Fengchun sect.

“This is why I wanted to come.”

“Huh! Where did I say something that didn’t happen? What do you want me to do?”

I was glad to see that he had not changed.

The place I ran like crazy was where the two people were working. I was able to find them because I sent them a letter every time to let them know where they were and how the work was going.

I had a long conversation with two people.

What was surprising was that Go-wol already knew about the affairs of the evil So-ma and the drunken horse, and that his brother was in contact with the Kwon-ma and the Poison King.

It was already clear that the information network within the school had been properly secured. The external information network was also rapidly expanding throughout the central region.

“What’s your financial situation?”

“It’s almost all gone.”

It cost a huge amount of money to hire capable people and build an organization. The money that Go-wol had taken out was 1.2 million nyang, but it was already running low. This was because the initial cost of building an organization was very high.

“I will send you additional funds soon.”

“yes!”

For now, I have enough money thanks to the money I received from the Golden Market, but I need to earn more money if I want to run the Guiyeongdae later.

At that moment, my eyes met with the leader of the Pungcheon sect. Then, he flinched in surprise.

“Why are you looking at me after talking about losing money?”

“I saw you because it was nice to see you after such a long time. Why? Can’t I see you?”

“It’s like an unspoken pressure to borrow money, right? That’s right, that look. That look! That sinister look you gave me when you were after my new possession. That’s impossible. Of course not, not with my money!”

I burst out laughing.

“That holy water saved my life.”

The leader of the Pungcheon sect was surprised by my words.

“Really?”

“Yes. I survived thanks to the Geukpumcheonjamsa.”

“ah!”

Joy flashed across the face of the leader of the Pungcheon Church. Although he was mumbling, the affection he felt for me in his eyes was incomparable to that of before.

Leader. Money is fine. Let’s just keep going like this. I know what you sacrificed to get here. I’m grateful enough just to be by your side.

“I have to go now that I have seen your face. I have to be back by the morning after tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow morning? What are you talking about? How far is it from here?”

“It took two days to get here. I’m trying to shorten the time when I go back.”

The leader of the Pungcheon Church, who had been making a dumbfounded expression, thought this was his chance and spoke to Gowol.

“You see? This is the true face of a four-legged idiot. I told you before that you were a braggart. Do you now know how good I am at reading people? Are you still going to ignore me?”

Then Gowol spoke quietly.

“Is this really just a bluff?”

What was on Gowol’s face as he looked at me was a firm belief.

Then the leader of the Pungcheon sect raised his voice.

“That’s just bluffing! It would take ten days to run from here to the main campus without stopping. Even if I ran it myself.”

“The leader is fat and slow, isn’t he?”

“What? Didn’t you see me running? I’m the leader of the Pungcheon Church!”

The leader of the Pungcheon sect provoked me.

“Two days? If you can get to the main temple of the Cheonmasin Church within two days, I’ll give you a million nyang. What do you think? Bet a million nyang with me. Can’t you do that?”

The leader of the Pungcheon sect displayed his confidence with pride. He believed that it was absolutely impossible.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“Really?”

“yes.”

“Are you going to give me money as a reward for saving my life as a master of the highest level? You don’t have to. I have plenty of money.”

“I appreciate it, but I can’t afford to give you money. As you know, I’m spending a lot of money right now.”

“Okay, then do it! I’m telling you in advance that I won’t give you a single penny back. There’s no point in complaining about your death when you get there!”

“Here’s what I have to say. You can’t say things like it was for medicine or retirement funds.”

“I have a lot of money! I’m a former leader of the Pungcheon cult!”

“Okay. I’ll send you the official letter from the main school when I get there. It’s an official letter, so it’ll have the date stamped on it, and when you come to the main school later, you’ll be able to check when I arrived.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll have someone check the date of your arrival. Don’t forget. It’s a million nyang, Lee Gongja.”

I smiled and got up from my seat.

“I know how much you two have worked hard for me. I am always grateful. See you later.”

As I was about to turn around, Gowol spoke quietly.

“Congratulations in advance on receiving a million nyang.”

“Thank you.”

From behind, the grumbling voice of the leader of the Pungcheon sect could be heard.

“What are you talking about? You should support me! If this is how it is, I won’t give you a single penny even if you receive a million nyang from Lee Gongja!”

After saying goodbye to them like that, I started running towards the church again.

The more I ran, the more I got used to running, and I increased my speed. The more I ran, the faster I got, and the more I ran, the more freedom I felt. I also felt a strong desire to achieve greatness.

And two days later, I was writing a letter to my school.

[Lord Pungcheon, I will use the million nyang well. Thank you always. Oh, and if you are still disappointed, I can do it one more time for half a day… … .]