The first person to arrive at the Pungryu Tavern was the Demon Lord Jang Ho.

His large body and the scar on his face overwhelmed everyone in the tavern. The customers couldn’t even hear a single breath until Jang Ho crossed the first floor and came up to this floor. When he joined us, time that had stopped finally began to flow.

“How have you been, Master Lee Gong Ja?”

“I’ve been doing well. I [N O V E L I G H T] wonder if you invited a busy person for no reason.”

“If you hadn’t invited me here, I would have been very upset.”

“Of course I should have invited you. This is the first drinking party with my people. Now, have my drink first.”

I poured Jang Ho a full glass of wine.

“Thank you.”

Seo Dae Ryong and Jang Ho also exchanged greetings. They had known each other since the last time, when the whistleblower incident happened. Jang Ho looked three times bigger when he sat next to Seo Dae Ryong, who was already small.

After drinking a glass of alcohol, I asked Jang-ho.

“Have you been very busy?”

“I was busy at the beginning of my term, but it’s gotten better now.”

“If you have any problems or concerns, come to me anytime.”

“Of course. I’ll be the first to come to you.”

Jang-ho was always dependable. Contrary to his appearance, he was emotional and delicate, and he valued interpersonal relationships.

When Jang-ho arrived, his drinking speed increased. Jang-ho drank as well as his large body.

While drinking, Seo Dae-ryong would sneak glances at Jang-ho. It wasn’t a look of concern, but rather a look of envy.

“Are you jealous?”

Seo Dae-ryong flinched when I hit the nail on the head.

“What?”

“Are you jealous of Lord Jang?”

Seo Dae-ryong answered honestly while drunk.

“Yes, honestly, I’m jealous. I once wanted to be like you, Lord Jang. Although I failed.”

“It’s not too late.”

“You said it before. You’re disappointed because I’m already lamenting that I’m late. But what can I do about being late? I’m already thirty-two years old.”

“But it’s not too late.”

Seo Dae-ryong, who was about to lose his temper, drank the wine in front of him. If it had been someone else, he would have yelled at him not to talk about someone else’s business so easily.

Seo Dae-ryong swallowed his anger with the wine, but he was still excited.

“It’s really not too late, is it?”

I knew he was asking sincerely, so I answered sincerely.

“It’s really late.”

“Oh, well, that’s right.”

Seo Dae-ryong was disappointed. It seemed like he had been wondering if he really was not late.

“But there’s also a good side to it.”

“What is that?”

“I’ll try harder. Even if I swing my sword once, I’ll do it with more strength than others, and even if I take a step, I’ll have deeper concerns than others.”

“Even so, isn’t it true that we can’t catch up in the end?”

“We can catch up. Oh, there’s a good example right over there. The embodiment of denial of reality!”

Seo Dae-ryong and Jang-ho followed my gaze and looked up at the first floor. Ian, a large man, was hurriedly coming up to our seats on this floor, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“The person who walked that path before you, the person who makes a living at the martial arts center these days, and yet such a bright person, here he comes.”

Ian apologized after arriving at his seat.

“Oh, I’m really sorry. I’m late because I washed up and changed into my martial arts uniform.”

“Why are you in such a hurry when you’re drinking?”

“You have to be in a hurry, you’re with precious people.”

Ian greeted the two.

“Hello, Lord Jang. Investigator Seo.”

The two stared at her brightly. Ian apologized again, thinking it was because she was late.

“I’m sorry, I’m late, right?”

Seo Dae-ryong stared at her because of the word “model,” and Jang-ho had a different reason. Jang-ho politely spoke to her.

“Something has changed, Lord Ian.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It feels different.”

The eyes of the Lord leading the Demon Army were definitely unusual.

Then Ian glanced at me and smiled.

“You’ve lost weight after falling into the training hell. You’ve changed a bit, haven’t you?”

Of course, Ian and I both know that it’s not because of that. Her prayers changed after she learned the Bicheon Sword Technique. The Bicheon Sword Technique is still a secret that must never be told to anyone outside.

Jang-ho must have felt that it wasn’t just because of that, but he didn’t ask about the change anymore.

“The weather was gloomy, so I was craving a drink. Give me that drink!”

Ian held out a glass, and I filled it up.

“You must be working hard to train, Ian.”

“You must be working hard. Of course you have to. And I know that you train much harder than me. You even cut down on your sleep.”

Then Seo Dae-ryong was surprised.

“Really?”

“You didn’t know?”

Seo Dae-ryong looked at me at Ian’s question.

“Anyone can tell that you’re someone who would slack off.”

“That’s right. But inside that lazy-looking shell, there’s an incredibly hard-working warrior.”

Seo Dae-ryong looked at me, then at Jang-ho, then at Ian again. Then he drank alone.

“I feel like I’m the only loser.”

“But you work hard, don’t you?”

Seo Dae-ryong bowed his head to Ian’s consolation.

“I postponed today’s work until tomorrow and came to drink.”

“Oh, my. Our investigator Seo looks incredibly diligent on the outside.”

Ian teased him. At times like this, Ian was a young woman who just seemed to laugh heartily.

“Let’s have a drink for today’s loser!”

Ian raised his glass, and we toasted. The loser also didn’t feel bad and joined in the final toast, saying that he was the main character.

“How about it? Everyone is working so hard. Do you want to learn martial arts properly too?”

“Yes? To the headmaster?”

“No.”

“Then to whom?”

Seo Dae-ryong looked at Jang-ho without realizing it.

“Why are you looking at that? The busiest person among us.”

“Oh, I was thinking of training the executives before.”

“If there’s someone who can teach you, would you like to learn? I can’t be your official disciple, but I can teach you proper martial arts.”

“Who are you?”

Instead of telling him who I was, I told him.

“Your determination comes first. When you’re determined to be reborn, tell me. I’ll tell you who you are.”

I was thinking of him as the next Hwangcheonju. However, he was too young to be the next Juju. He didn’t have a good reputation or political connections. I needed something to become a Juju.

Then suddenly, one person came to mind.

A person who didn’t suit me at all, but who might be a better fit for me.

“I’ll give you a moment. Think about it.”

“Huh? Are you going to decide right now?”

“You can’t make a decision on something like this if you think about it too long. After we finish drinking today, we’ll all be back to square one. You and I. You know that, right?”

Then, Seo Dae-ryong fell into deep thought, and we drank while looking outside, where it seemed like rain would pour down at any moment. We drank quietly for Seo Dae-ryong. Because I, Ian, and Jang-ho all had a lot on our minds these days.

When we drank a bottle of alcohol, Seo Dae-ryong made a decision.

“I’ll try.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“This will change your life.”

“I’m ready. What else is there in life? When you feel an opportunity, you grab it! If I make a mistake and die, bury me in a sunny place!”

“I’ll bury you in a street where many pretty women walk.”

“Good.”

Seo Dae-ryong drank the alcohol in front of him.

“Oh! Congratulations!”

Ian clapped his hands vigorously, and Jang-ho congratulated him.

“If someone else had recommended it, it would have been impossible. But since the headmaster recommended it, my ears strangely became thin and I thought… Let’s grab this. This is our chance.”

Ian smiled and agreed.

“Our master’s persuasiveness is the best in the world.”

Jangho nodded as if he acknowledged it.

Seo Dae-ryong emptied his drink again, feeling good. He, who usually doesn’t drink well, was drinking too much.

“But as you know, I’ve been an investigator for ten years. I’ve stayed up all night to become a special investigator. I feel bad about throwing it all away……”

“Why are you quitting as an investigator?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to quit. You’re the most needed person in Hwangcheon-gak, so what are you quitting for? It means learning martial arts after work hours.”

Seo Dae-ryong took my words as a joke.

“You want me to die of exhaustion?”

“Instead, I’ll fulfill my unfulfilled dreams.”

Seo Dae-ryong looked at me seriously and was surprised.

“No way? Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. What’s the rush when you’re learning late? Just learn slowly after work.”

“It’s late, so it’s urgent. Can you learn like that and become a master? Shouldn’t I risk my whole life to challenge?”

Seo Dae-ryong looked at Jang-ho and asked for support. However, Jang-ho didn’t respond and just looked at me as if he was telling me to listen to him.

Seo Dae-ryong, who had failed to find reinforcements, returned to the battlefield.

I spoke to him calmly.

“That’s why everyone fails. You think you can bet your whole life on it, but in reality, it doesn’t work out well. It’s actually harder when you have a lot of time to spare from morning to night. Why am I not making progress when I have so much time? What am I doing? Feelings of inferiority and defeat. When I just do my work and carve out precious time little by little to make an effort, I achieve much greater results. That’s not work, it’s fun.”

Ian and Jangho nodded their heads, not just Seo Daeryong, who was involved. Seo Daeryong seemed to have mixed feelings.

“And the important thing is who you learn from. If you learn from a true master who you are compatible with, training time doesn’t mean much. For someone like that, learning just a cup of tea is better than the ramblings of a slacker all your life.”

“Who is the real master?”

Even Ian and Jangho were curious about who they were going to take as their master.

“He’ll be here soon.”

“He’s coming here?”

Not only Seo Dae-ryong, but Ian and Jang-ho were also surprised.

“Then did you know that Detective Seo would make this decision?”

“Are you a fortuneteller? You knew that. You just came up with it by accident.”

“Then he doesn’t know about this situation?”

“Of course.”

“Oh my!”

Seo Dae-ryong took another sip. He had already exceeded his usual drinking capacity, and the alcohol was starting to take over.

“Whether or not you get permission is the biggest game. If possible, I should hold on to the leg of his trouser leg and hang on.”

We all drank together, saying that we should definitely get permission.

Ian told Seo Dae-ryong to just take a sip of his drink, but he said that he couldn’t do that because he had something important to do, and emptied his glass cleanly.

“I don’t know who you are, but I will definitely get permission. If you don’t, the right leg of your trouser leg is mine. You can take the left, Master.”

Perhaps because he thought that something he had been thinking about for a long time was coming true, Seo Dae-ryong was very excited.

“If it’s the master you saved, he must be a really great and good person.”

As soon as Ian said that.

Flash! Woo-roong! Bang!

Lightning struck and thunder was heard.

“I guess it’s about to really pour down!”

It was right then.

“Oh, there he is.”

Everyone's eyes turned to the first floor at my words.

A person was entering there.

Ian, who saw the other person, covered his mouth and held back a scream.

Jangho also flinched and opened his eyes wide.

Seo Dae-ryong, who had been turning his back, turned his head one last time.

I could see Seo Dae-ryong being surprised in real time. He opened his eyes wide, screamed, and even spilled his alcohol while trying to get up.

Thump.

The person who arrived at our place put down a large sword on the floor.

A fierce aura emanated from his small, slitted eyes.

"Where the hell are you calling people to come?"

The person who arrived was none other than Hyeolcheon Doma.

Swish!

It started to rain as if it had been waiting for it.