[fixed]
Hush.
On this bottomless dark night, even the moon was hiding behind the clouds. A shadowy figure made its way slowly toward the warehouse of the Eunha Guild.
He surveyed his surroundings, avoiding the gazes of passersby by stealthily hiding within the shadows.
His martial skills seemed quite formidable, as even the well-trained martial artist guards of Eunha Guild failed to detect his presence, and he passed them without catching notice.
"..."
In the darkness, he waited for the guards to pass completely before cautiously approaching the warehouse. His eyes sparkled as they landed on the large lock adorning the door.
Kilig.
He extended a finger and carefully placed it into the keyhole of the lock. After maintaining the position for a moment, he removed his hand and took out a thin wire from within his pocket.
With delicate shaping, the wire entered the keyhole effortlessly.
And after a while...
Click.
The lock opened smoothly without any issues.
Gently removing the lock, he looked around one more time. He was surrounded by various valuable items, yet he gave the impression that he was in search of something specific.
Eventually, he closed his eyes in the middle of the warehouse. As if the item he was looking for couldn't be discerned by sight.
And then...
Flash.
A dazzling radiance emanated from the man's eyes.
'There it is.'
He advanced confidently, and his palm gently tapped the box stored in the coldest corner of the warehouse.
Thump. Thump.
The corners of the mouth concealed behind the mask on his face twitched upward.
'This is it.'
A cautious hand carefully removed the cloth that enveloped the box. Once the box was fully revealed, he grabbed the firmly nailed lid and applied pressure.
Crunch! Crunch!
Just when the lid was ripped off in one swift motion.
Crash!
As the previously closed warehouse door flung wide open, a group of martial artists surged in.
"Stop right there!"
The one who had been opening the lid, startled, turned to look back. His eyes, visible through the mask, were twisted in agony.
"...Dammit."
His hands moved faster than his head. As soon he realized there was a problem, he swiftly concealed the contents of the box inside his clothing.
"Get him!"
Several of them drew their swords and lunged at the intruder, but he vaulted into the air faster than anyone could react. His intention was to escape through the roof.
But at that very moment, a golden blaze of light suddenly soared over the masked intruder's head.
"Oooh!"
Hye Yeon, propelled through the air, hurled a punch at the masked man. Momentarily startled, the masked figure tried to twist in mid-air to change direction. However, at that moment, Baek Cheon thrust forward, extending his sword to release a wave of sword energy at the masked man.
"Gck!"
The masked man's eyes contorted even further.
He could have fought, but dragging it out would only attract more opponents. Instead of dealing with them one by one, escaping was the wiser choice...
At that moment.
Rattle! Rattle!
It sounded as if something was clashing with something else down below, and suddenly, a massive iron net flew through the air and trapped the intruder.
"Aargh!"
Pressed down by the net, the masked figure plummeted to the ground.
"Hold tight!"
"Don't let go!"
"We got him, this rascal!"
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul securely held onto the ends of the net, pinning the intruder to the ground. The intruder, who had been struggling momentarily, now gazed at his captors with fury in his eyes.
"This..."
A gnashing sound came from the intruder's mouth. With great care, Baek Cheon slowly approached the captive and, looking down with cold eyes, ordered.
"...Take off this bastard's mask."
"Yes, Sasuk."
Jo Gul reached into the net and removed the mask. What lay beneath was a very familiar face.
"Aaargh!"
Everyone who saw the face sighed in unison.
The masked intruder, or rather, Chung Myung, looked at Hye Yeon with angry eyes.
"You, you punk! You really went all out, didn't you?"
"...Amitabha. That's a misunderstanding, Siju." [Siju = respectful address to...anyone?]
"Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding? Ah, I see, a misunderstanding, huh? Misunderstood twice? Keep misunderstanding, and you'll end up dead. Misunderstood?"
"Hmph."
Hye Yeon, feeling slightly embarrassed, turned his head away. Baek Cheon then saved him from that embarrassment.
"No matter how..."
He furrowed his brow as if he could not understand it at all.
"No matter how much you're craving a drink, do you really need to raid the Eunha Guild's warehouse? Huh? This guy's insane!"
At that moment, a white liquor bottle rolled out of Chung Myung's embrace.
Yoon Jong swiftly caught the bottle, and Chung Myung cried out frantically.
"I haven't even tasted that!"
Baek Cheon lowered his head. Then he turned to Tang Soso and nodded with great approval and said.
"...The net worked well, just as you said."
"You need to use a net to catch animals. Having a sword won't be of any use."
"Even if you're not in your right mind, you wouldn't draw a sword on your fellow brethren."
"Draw it? You think so?"
"...Well, let's just assume he's not in his right mind."
Baek Cheon, looking somewhat embarrassed, glanced around and sat down in front of Chung Myung.
"Please behave like a human, huh? Do you even know where you are?"
"Well, then, give me money!"
"..."
"I don't have a single penny! I can't even go outside! Can't even have a drink! What am I supposed to do?"
"You're a Taoist, Chung Myung."
And a Taoist is supposed to be someone who practices Taoism!
Just when Baek Cheon's head drooped until it couldn't get any lower.
Pop!
A sound that was as crisp and pure as anything echoed through the place. It was Yoon Jong, who had carelessly popped open the lid of the liquor bottle.
In that instant, a clear and fragrant aroma of the liquor filled the warehouse.
Gulp.
Baek Cheon's throat moved significantly without realizing. He unconsciously swallowed his saliva and turned his head in surprise, only to find Chung Myung with wide-open eyes, freely drooling.
"...That..."
Even the others couldn't take their eyes off the liquor bottle. Yoon Jong, who sensed that he had made a big mistake, hurriedly closed the bottle cap.
"..."
"..."
A strange silence hung in the air.
The first person to break the silence and speak was, of course, the most audacious person in Mount Hua, Jo Gol.
"Well...To be honest, Chung Myung did make a contribution as well, and... isn't it okay to have just one bottle of liquor?"
Of course, Chung Myung had only watched from the sidelines in this battle, but no one pointed that out.
"Yeah, right. To be honest, if you have a temper like Chung Myung's, enduring this much is already impressive. It's like tying up a tiger and only giving it grass without meat. Wouldn't it be strange for it to stay sane?"
Tang Soso quickly stood up against Jo Gol.
"But we haven't fully honored the spirits of the deceased yet..."
"Isn't it customary to drink at the funeral home?"
Yoon Jong, who was about to voice his objections politely, glared at Jo Gol, who had interjected. However, he also seemed momentarily stumped by this logic.
"Of course, excessive drinking is not appropriate, but one bottle... couldn't we monitor it?"
It was just then that Baek Cheon, who was about to point out how absurd that sounded, spoke up.
"...You can monitor us."
"S-Samae?" ['Samae' = junior martial sister]
Baek Cheon turned to Yoo Iseol with a face that seemed to have been struck in the back of the head. But she turned away from his gaze with a clean sweep.
"Sasuk!"
"Huh?"
Jo Gol spoke resolutely with the face of someone facing a life-and-death decision.
"...Make a decision"
"Make a smart decision!"
"..."
Baek Cheon's trembling eyes fell on the bottle Yoon Jong was holding.
The truth was, the ones who truly craved alcohol were not Chung Myung, but these people. Chung Myung probably managed to find and drink alcohol occasionally between his training sessions, thanks to Hyun Jongui's kindness.
After leaving Mount Hua and entering the mountains, it must have been challenging for Chung Myung as well, but anyway, they were the ones who refrained from drinking the longest.
'Ah, well....'
Baek Cheon raised his head, trying to exert his extraordinary patience and rationality as the next Sect Leader. However, the eyes of Mount Hua's Five Swords were all fiercely fixed on him like fiery arrows.
'These little brats.'
The decision froze. They had already made up their minds.
"Ahem."
Baek Cheon cleared his throat with a troubled look on his face and gently wiped his mouth, and a hint of drool appeared on his sleeve.
"Then just one bottle...."
At that moment, a small sound from the front caught everyone's attention.
"...Sunim?"
Hye Yeon was lifting the box that Chung Myung had torn open, and it was full of liquor.
"One, one bottle..."
"Yes?"
Hye Yeon asked with wide, shining eyes.
"...It's nothing."
Jo Gol and Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon as they approached.
"Let's slip away discreetly for now."
"We might as well eat outside the Guild. We might get caught if we stay here."
"We have to erase all traces. Make sure of it."
"Ahem."
The discussion between Jo Gol and Yoon Jong, the slightly frowning Yoo Iseol, and Baek Cheon, who coughed as if he had no guilt.
Chung Myung's voice came out weakly from his mouth as he watched the scene.
"...You're all having fun."
Take away the net, you bastards!
* * *
Baek Cheon, Yoo Iseol, Yoon Jong, Jo Gol, Chung Myung, Tang Soso, and even Hye Yeon.
If Kangho saw these characters gathered in one place, they would all be amazed. ['Kangho' = martial arts world, aka Murim]
Chung Myung, who had gained recognition from Paegun Jang Ilso beyond the best swordsman of Mount Hua, Baek Cheon, who attracted the world's attention as the next Sect Leader of Mount Hua. And even Mount Hua's Five Swords, who couldn't be compared with young leaders of other sects, and the best martial artist of Shaolin, Hye Yeon.
These were people who could be called the future leaders of the martial world. It was definitely impressive.
It was definitely impressive, but....
"Kaaah!"
"Wow! It sticks to your throat!"
"Is it because it's expensive? Or is it because we haven't drank for a long time?"
"One more drink."
"I'll pour it, Sago! Let me do it!" ['Sago' = senior martial sister]
Watching Tang Soso enthusiastically pouring liquor into Yoo Iseol's glass, Baek Cheon felt an indescribable feeling.
'Is this really okay?'
No matter what, stealing someone else's liquor from their warehouse...
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
"..."
But he soon smiled happily.
From the moment he realized that the person over there gulping down a bottle was Hye Yeon, not Chung Myung, all his worries were meaningless.
'Let's not think about it.'
However...
"Kkue!"
Ah, the alcohol was good. It truly stuck to the tongue.
Baek Cheon, who had let go of his thoughts, coolly finished a glass of alcohol and looked at Chung Myung with a relaxed expression.
Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp.
He was drinking well.
Chung Myung was passing the alcohol like someone who had been wandering in the desert and had finally found water.
"Kkueueueueueueu!"
The expression on Chung Myung's face as he removed the empty bottle from his mouth with a *pop* sound... well, it made you think that maybe there wasn't much more to happiness in life.
"Ah, I thought I was going to die."
"...No one dies from not drinking."
"I was almost the first to die."
"...It's not going to happen."
It was better to not think about it.
"More importantly..."
Baek Cheon opened his mouth with a somewhat serious expression as he looked at Chung Myung.
"What do you think is going to happen now?"
"Hmm? Why are you suddenly talking like this? Have some more alcohol."
"I'm talking about the Evil Tyrant Alliance."
As he mentioned it, shadows naturally crept onto Chung Myung's face.
"From what I've heard, it doesn't seem like things are settled on their end either. Do you think they can handle this situation?"
Chung Myung wiped his chin, where a trickle of alcohol had flowed down.
"Hmm."
Then he put the bottle down quietly. As he raised his head, his eyes narrowed slightly.