Absolute Regression 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 rember 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 behind like that?’

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

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

“Thank you.”

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

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

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

“Let’s have a match!”

In that mont, 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 Supre to a duel. 1

“Branch Leader Seo?”

“Sword Supre!”

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

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

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

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

“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 Supre was watching him with admiration.

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

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

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

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

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

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 ant!”

Seo Daeryong shot Geom Mugeuk a glare with his eyes.

‘Are you seriously doing this to ?’

Geom Mugeuk handed the water to So Yeonrang.

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

The One-Slash Sword Supre 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 ti they crossed blades.

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

“Let’s et again, Branch Leader Seo.”

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

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

“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 mont the flower pot was ntioned out of nowhere.

“Is it still alive?”

“Of course. Iinja is growing well.”

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

But the One-Slash Sword Supre 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 encouragent, an expression of expectation that Seo Daeryong, now soone to take notice of, would soon make a na 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 complinted , didn’t she?”

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

“Young Cult Leader!”

Finally, Geom Mugeuk smiled and nodded.

“The Sword Supre has officially acknowledged you.” 3

The rush of emotion flickered across his eyes for a mont, but Seo Daeryong imdiately 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 an?”

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

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

“Well, thanks to a certain soone, 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 ! You just left behind?!”

“I didn’t plan to.”

“Yes, you did. You were totally looking forward to that mont 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 Supre would be visiting.”

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

What ca next was shocking.

“Soma-nim stopped .”

“What?”

“He saw how soundly you were sleeping and told 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 re investigator, had beco 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 ti.”

“Next ti?”

He was about to wave his hands dismissively and say there wouldn’t be a next ti—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 tournant, 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 rember all of that.”

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

Seo Daeryong’s chest swelled with emotion.

The man standing before him never gave him a mont’s rest. Always asking: Isn’t there more to this relationship? Isn’t there sothing 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 soone who always joked around and left him flustered, but behind those words and actions, there was always sothing deeper.

Even what had happened just yesterday and today made that clear. In a single night, he had forged profound ties with two Demon Supres. 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 mont 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 Supres, I wouldn’t be this busy.”

eting with a Demon Supre was, in itself, a form of tripartite diplomacy—and at the sa ti, martial training. At this point in his cultivation, a single joke exchanged with a Demon Supre could reveal new insights in martial arts.

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

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“You’re really diligent.”

He had to be. He had seen it ti and again—how the one who stays on guard is always at a disadvantage. Those who plotted and sched 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?”

“?”

“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, ssenger 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 ssages for the tripartite eting was flying busily across the sky.

* * *

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

Normally, it would have gone sothing 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 an? Was he sober or sothing? Even though the sll 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 Supre they targeted.” 7

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

“This is weird. Really weird.”

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

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

‘Sothing’s going on between them!’

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

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

“Nothing.”

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

“If I spill the beans the mont 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 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 mory 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 an? Of course I won.” 8

I shook my head in disbelief.

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

“Maybe if it were so 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 soone who would easily give his heart to a woman. Please, don’t let it be sothing like ‘Don’t ever do this to 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 t 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 .”

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 ?”

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

Yeah, it probably was because of . 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 ti, invite too.”

“I’ll think about it.”

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

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

* * *

As I t with the Demon Supres, I also threw myself deeper into martial arts training.

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

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

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

I continued refining the Heavenly Ti Secret Art to gain more ti, 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 ca to report to .

“The date of the eting 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 imdiately 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 , he greeted cheerfully.

“Young Cult Leader, welco!”

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

1 : Hahahaha, the jinx he have XDXDXD

2 : Rember that Iinja was nad 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 road 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 rcy 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 ans there is hope ^^

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

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

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