How should I describe this moment, where a bunch of rough-tempered men are sitting around drinking plum wine?

A strange awkwardness lingered in the air, along with the unshakable sense that beyond fighting and martial arts, none of us really had anything to talk about.

Still, I felt different from the others.

Because every time I looked at these people, I kept recalling their past lives.

The Lecher was once the Left Guardian of the Demonic Cult.

The Sword Demon, both in his past and present life, possessed an unsettling aura—as if standing on the border between man and demon.

And Master Yukhap... just look at the ghost and demon in his nickname. It’s no surprise he was widely despised in his time.

Of course, I was no exception.

In fact, in terms of our past lives, I—Crazy Demon—was as hated as the rest of them, if not more. I had the unique honor of being despised by the White Path, the Black Path, and the Demonic Path alike.

So the very fact that these pathetic fools were sitting at the same table now was nothing short of a miracle.

We weren’t on the Jianghu wanted list yet...

Which meant we could still enter a regular inn and eat a decent meal.

No members of the Martial Alliance had yet stared at us with panic, frantically checking wanted posters the moment they laid eyes on us.

That was enough, for now.

***

I turned to the Sword Demon—the kind of man who’d never suggest drinking first—and offered the idea myself.

“Senior, you’ve come a long way. Let’s have a modest drink for old times’ sake. Enough with the damn plum wine. Keep drinking that stuff and you’ll end up with liver failure.”

The Sword Demon replied in his usual flat tone.

“There’s no liquor. And no liquor means there’s no side dishes either.”

I nodded.

“Don’t take something so trivial and explain it like it’s some profound life lesson. We just go buy the booze and the snacks, and that’s that.”

I pulled out my money pouch and tossed it straight at the Lecher.

He caught the heavy pouch with a confused look on his face, but before he could speak, I cut in.

“Rookie, hurry up and go get some liquor. Get plenty of snacks while you're at it. Buy the kind your master likes. Me? I’ll eat whatever, so don’t bother worrying. As for this hillbilly next to me, he’ll happily eat whatever lands on the table.”

Even though I’d barely said a thing, I could feel the piercing glares of the Lecher, the Sword Demon, and the Ghost Demon all at once. The kind of stares that make you cough on instinct.

The Lecher scowled and asked, “Why am I the rookie?”

I glared at him as I answered, “Then who is?”

He turned to look at Master Yukhap with irritation, but the man’s face already looked way too old to compete with. Defeated, the Lecher turned his glare back to me.

“Why should I run your errands?”

I shifted my gaze away like he wasn’t even worth responding to and looked at the Sword Demon instead. That’s when the Sword Demon calmly said,

“Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

After staring at the Lecher for a moment, the Sword Demon added lightly,

“Go.”

The Lecher looked like he’d just been slapped in the face.

“…I’ll be back.”

As he walked off with his head tilted awkwardly to the side, he turned back and asked,

“Master, is there anything in particular you’d like to eat?”

The Sword Demon grunted,

“Whatever.”

“Yes, Master.”

Once the Lecher was gone, the Sword Demon suddenly spoke again.

“Master Yukhap.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ve been training with a wooden sword lately. Would you be willing to face me with it?”

Master Yukhap blinked.

“It’s not a problem, but what exactly do you mean by ‘training with a wooden sword’?”

The Sword Demon gave a small nod.

“…It’s simple. I’ve felt myself lacking in many ways lately, so I picked up a wooden sword again—back to basics.”

“That’s an unusual approach. Let’s do it.”

The Sword Demon turned to me.

“Moon Lord, lend me your sword.”

I handed over Elder Heo’s weapon to Master Yukhap. A disguised blade—it’s a wooden sword until drawn, then a real one.

While the two of them stepped outside, I asked,

“Senior, should your disciple not be watching this duel?”

“That’s up to Master Yukhap. Though truthfully, that brat’s not destined to master the sword, so there’s not much point. Master Yukhap, do you mind the Moon Lord observing?”

Master Yukhap nodded.

“Not at all.”

And so, I followed them to the entrance.

They faced each other, standing a slight distance apart.

Strangely enough, I wasn’t wondering who would win—I was more curious how they would fight. This was the first time I was more interested in the content of a duel than its outcome, and it left me slightly unsettled.

Master Yukhap gave the Sword Demon a formal sword salute.

The Sword Demon, not one for etiquette, just gave the smallest nod in return.

Right as I was wondering what kind of battle this would be, the Sword Demon’s entire demeanor suddenly changed.

He stood there with his wooden sword in hand, and his body began to stir the air—like he was wrapped in a whirlwind.

What the hell?

Even Master Yukhap, holding a simple lower-stance grip, widened his eyes in surprise.

The Sword Demon asked, “Ready?”

“Ready.”

The moment the words left his mouth, CRACK—the wooden swords clashed.

The Sword Demon moved so fast, my eyes darted side to side just to keep up.

Master Yukhap kept retreating, blocking blow after blow. Any swordsman unfamiliar with ironclad defense would've already collapsed under such a relentless assault.

It was a one-sided onslaught from the Sword Demon.

I didn’t say a word—I was too busy marveling inside.

Damn. He’s getting wrecked.

For some reason, the Sword Demon had picked up on Master Yukhap’s tactics right from the start.

He just kept attacking. Relentlessly.

What made it more impressive was that it looked like he was forcing Master Yukhap to stay defensive. He left no room for a counterattack.

But if you think about it, it wasn’t that strange.

Master Yukhap couldn’t even beat the Lecher. And the Sword Demon? He’s the Lecher’s master. From the get-go, the skill gap was obvious. He had way more real combat experience, too—and the way he wielded his sword had a violent, tyrannical edge to it.

In short, Master Yukhap stuck to his usual defensive strategy, but he was completely overwhelmed by the Sword Demon’s pressure and had no chance to recover.

Because of his nature, he simply couldn’t find a window to counter.

Eventually, the Sword Demon calmly stabbed Master Yukhap’s shoulder with his wooden blade. Then he swatted away Master Yukhap’s own blade with a light, effortless strike.

Master Yukhap clutched his shoulder and stared at the Sword Demon.

“……”

A long sigh escaped his lips.

Then, Master Yukhap gave a respectful martial bow.

“I’ve learned a lot.”

The Sword Demon nodded and replied casually,

“Let’s go back inside.”

He turned and headed in, and I picked up the fallen wooden sword while checking on Master Yukhap’s condition.

“Yukgap, you alright? You looked pretty shaken.”

The Ghost Demon of his past life, now called Master Yukhap, seemed dazed until I called him by that name. Then he snapped out of it.

“Ah… I finally recognize you. I couldn’t tell right away since Baek Eung-ji is from the White Path region.”

He held out the wooden sword to me with a questioning look.

“What the hell is the Sword Demon from the Demonic Cult doing here?”

I took the sword and answered,

“Then what are you doing here?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Stop asking questions that need long answers. Especially when they’re not mine to answer.”

Back inside, the Sword Demon was already wiping his wooden blade with a cloth.

I paused and watched.

The man had shown no emotion when he lost to Lim Sobaek, and he was just as composed now after beating Master Yukhap.

It was all part of his routine.

Master Yukhap and I sat back down in our spots with the plum wine and watched the Sword Demon polish his blade.

He said,

“Just like when I fought Leader Lim… I couldn’t break the wooden sword, so the fight dragged on a bit.”

I understood what he meant instantly.

“Ah, right.”

The sword Elder Heo gave him was a disguised real sword. The Sword Demon had intentionally held back to avoid breaking it. That’s why the duel took longer.

As the Sword Demon fell silent, I turned to Master Yukhap.

“What did you think, Yukgap?”

After a pause, he responded calmly.

“I’ve fought swordsmen who rely on defense like I do, but… he seemed especially experienced with it. I just stuck to my strategy without much thought, but it ended up being my own undoing. Moon Lord, what about you?”

I agreed.

“Same. This wasn’t about internal energy or sword forms. The key was the Sword Demon’s experience. That’s what made the difference. What do you think, Senior?”

The Sword Demon replied,

“Yukgap—”

“It’s Master Yukhap.”

“The two of you are right. There are plenty of warriors who specialize in defense.”

Then, turning to Master Yukhap, the Sword Demon added something unexpected.

“The aura around my body earlier—that was just a mind trick. You didn’t understand it, and the moment I saw hesitation in your eyes, I knew you’d play defensively. After that, you stuck to your plan, but you couldn’t outpace me.”

That was all he said.

A brief comment, which some might think too short. But after thinking it over, I realized no more explanation was needed.

The reason for defeat was simple.

The Sword Demon was just stronger.

Master Yukhap, expressionless, said,

“It’s a bit cliché to say, but I’ve learned something.”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“You were impressive. With more speed, internal energy, and experience, you’ll become even more solid.”

Then he turned to me.

“Moon Lord, what do you think about how diverse swordsmanship can be… even when everyone’s wielding the same straight blade?”

The question amused me. I smiled.

“That’s why… swordsmen should pay attention to more than just the sword.”

The Sword Demon gave a faint grin.

“Sounds like you said that for my benefit.”

I didn’t deny it.

“Correct.”

At that, he finally set the wooden sword down on the table.

He looked like a man who had finally laid down a heavy burden.

That’s when the Lecher kicked the door open and marched in, arms full of liquor and snacks.

“I’m back.”

The three of us just stared at his irritated face. None of us moved to help.

He slammed the food down on the table and said,

“Moon Lord, you’ve got cash, huh? I bought the finest booze and dishes in all of Baek Eung-ji, like you asked—plenty of it.”

“Well done. That money came from beating up bandits and Black Path scum, so let’s enjoy it guilt-free.”

Soon, the table was full of food and drinks. After dropping the pouch back to me, the Lecher walked inside, probably to grab plates and chopsticks.

When he sighed loudly, the Sword Demon snapped,

“You’re too loud.”

“Yes, Master.”

Only then did the Lecher stop sighing. That’s when Master Yukhap finally asked the Sword Demon with proper formality,

“Sword Demon, how did you end up taking the second son of the Baekdo clan as your disciple?”

The Sword Demon replied,

“Good question. You seem to have a knack for asking the kind of things that can’t be answered briefly. Just like you did at the door with Moon Lord.”

Naturally, I joined in.

“Fool.”

“……”

The Sword Demon asked us,

“Now I’m curious. You didn’t learn that swordplay rolling around with the Black Path. So how did you two end up here, together with the Haomun Lord?”

Master Yukhap finally seemed to understand what kind of question couldn’t be answered simply.

“Fair point.”

Everyone had stories.

Stories we had to share to truly understand each other.

Fortunately…

There was liquor in front of us.

Alcohol loosens tongues, and loose tongues bring stories.

That’s why I set up this drinking session.

To hear those stories and get just a bit closer to each other.

The Sword Demon, the Lecher, the Ghost Demon, and the Crazy Demon were gathered.

I believe this gathering of misfits means something.

The Sword Demon is too serious.

The Lecher is light as a feather.

The Ghost Demon is clueless.

And I’m too sharp for my own good.

All four of us needed ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to get a little drunk and come to our senses.

Because if we lived every moment like we always had, there were bound to be moments when we completely lost ourselves.