First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 100

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 100

“So you are the benefactors who saved my son.”

The Emperor sitting on the throne gazed at us.

White fur.

Bulging muscles filling his entire body.

A magnificently flowing silver mane.

The Emperor, Samaho Renji, was an incredibly strong and elegant-looking lion beastfolk.

“If we let humans who kidnap slaves in Suinuk go unpunished, wouldn’t it damage the image of humans as a whole? We only acted for our own sake.”

“Whatever the justification, the fact remains that you saved my son. Tell me what reward you desire! You must ask for a great reward befitting your magnificent achievement.”

The Emperor laughed heartily with a booming voice.

Looking at him like this, he felt more like a neighborhood uncle than an Emperor.

“Would it be alright if we each speak in turn?”

“Of course!”

The Emperor answered Merry’s question resoundingly.

However, Merry shook her head.

“Could you perhaps give all three of our rewards to this one student… the Empe— I mean, this student?”

“Hmm, that’s fine by me. Do the other two agree as well?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t mind.”

Kise and Diago also expressed their opinions while bowing.

This is actually quite touching.

“Good. Then you… your name was Asel, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Tell me what you desire. However, you must demand a great reward equal to the combined portions of those three! Make it something I won’t be ashamed to bestow.”

Truly the king of beastfolk.

He was incredibly generous.

In that case, what I would request was already decided.

Originally, I had planned to ask the Emperor for it, but circumstances prevented me from receiving it.

“I would like a spirit pill or elixir.”

“There are many different types of elixirs. What kind of elixir do you want?”

“I want an elixir that enhances aura achievement.”

“That’s quite an easy matter.”

The Emperor stared at me intently as if displeased.

“But would that really be enough?”

“Yes. If I could receive the most effective one among the elixirs that Suinuk possesses, nothing could be better.”

If I’m lucky, I might be able to receive another magic spirit pill.

The magic spirit pill I received for winning the Silver Rite against the Emperor when I was around 8 years old helped me considerably in reaching my current level.

If I take another elixir of similar caliber, my level might increase dramatically.

“Hmm… Something feels lacking.”

The Emperor was such a generous person that he was anxious about not being able to give more.

“The price for saving my son is just one elixir… My reputation won’t stand for it…”

In that case, giving me two would be fine as well.

I didn’t voice that thought aloud.

I waited until the Emperor mentioned it himself.

“Ah! This would be better.”

The Emperor suddenly rose from his throne.

A mountain-like aura emanated from the lion beastfolk’s massive body.

“Let’s duel. If you win the duel, I’ll give you three elixirs! No, five! As a bonus, I’ll give you 10,000 gold coins as compensation so you’ll never have to worry about making a living!”

10,000 gold coins?

Merry, Kise, and Diago all gaped in unison.

Even I was so shocked I forgot to speak.

10,000 gold was a fortune I had never touched even when living in the Imperial Capital.

It was almost equivalent to a year’s budget for a medium-sized city.

Shake shake—!

Genta, the crocodile beastman standing below the platform, shook his head at lightning speed.

It was a signal telling me absolutely not to accept.

He seemed to think it was impossible for me to defeat the Emperor.

Right, if I can’t win, all those rewards would just be illusions.

The Emperor must have proposed such unrealistic compensation because he was confident he wouldn’t lose.

“However, since there’s a difference in our levels, I should give you a handicap.”

The Emperor said while picking up a dueling sword.

“I won’t use aura. Would that be sufficient as a handicap?”

“…Then, may I use my full power?”

“Of course! Otherwise, there would be no point in giving a handicap.”

Suddenly, I recalled what I heard after defeating Merry in a previous sparring match.

[If you’re skilled enough to defeat me, then under the premise of not using aura, there would be less than a handful of people on the continent who could beat the Emperor.]

That was based on the standard of both sides sealing their aura.

What if the opponent doesn’t use it but I alone use aura?

Grin.

I curled up the corners of my mouth.

Seeing my expression, Genta frantically shook his head with eyes that seemed to say ‘Surely not, right?’

“I accept, Your Majesty.”

“Hahaha! Yes! I like how refreshingly straightforward you are as a man!”

The Emperor, like a hearty neighborhood uncle.

I was curious whether he could show the same reaction even after losing his elixirs and wealth.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Genta clicked his teeth together and held his snout with his hand.

“How did it come to this…”

I had earnestly begged him not to accept even if His Majesty proposed a duel!

In the end, it looks like I’ll be receiving another patient.

“Aren’t you being too pessimistic?”

Kise grinned and poked his head out.

Genta sighed.

“There’s a track record. His Majesty not using aura is a handicap he usually gives to fool those who don’t know much about beastfolk.”

“That person… I mean, that friend should know about beastfolk well, right? He was the one who explained Suinuk’s culture and customs to us.”

“That’s not the problem.”

Genta showed off his muscle-packed forearm.

“Humans know that beastfolk bodies are strong, but they can’t grasp exactly how strong. Moreover, His Majesty has exceptional physical abilities even among beastfolk. Even without using aura, most Experts wouldn’t be a match for him.”

Physical abilities that surpass Sword Experts with just his bare body.

He was truly worthy of being called the king of beastfolk.

“And look at that sword.”

The group focused on the dueling sword the Emperor was holding.

“Currently, the blade is dulled for dueling use, but originally it’s a famous sword passed down through generations of royalty. It won’t budge even against an Expert’s sword energy.”

The advantages that Sword Expert Asel has over the bare-handed Emperor.

Physical abilities and the cutting power of sword energy.

Both of these would be sealed.

“In that case, it would be decided by pure swordsmanship skill… No matter how much of a prodigy he is, how could he defeat a late 8th-tier swordsman with pure swordsmanship?”

Genta continued as if the outcome of the duel was obvious.

“I didn’t tell him not to accept for no reason.”

But even after explaining all this, the three people’s reactions remained calm.

“You said it would be decided by pure swordsmanship?”

Merry chuckled softly.

“The result is already decided then.”

At that moment, the Emperor and Asel rushed toward each other.

Clang-!

The sound of clashing metal pierced through the air.

Asel’s sword was wrapped in blue sword energy.

Even though he took the Expert’s sword energy head-on, the Emperor’s sword didn’t get pushed back.

Rather, it overwhelmed in return.

“Hahaha!”

The Emperor’s hearty laughter echoed loudly.

“Put more strength into it! If you let your guard down just because I don’t have aura, you’ll get hurt badly!”

The Emperor’s sword pushed Asel back.

Asel, who had stepped back, regained his stance.

The Emperor kicked off the ground and charged forward.

Clang! Clash!

The swords collided continuously.

Lightning-fast strikes and precise defensive parries at exact angles continued.

Asel was mainly on the defensive side.

The difference in reach was too severe to begin with.

Asel, still in his growth period, was only slightly taller than an adult human male.

Meanwhile, the Emperor’s height clearly exceeded 2.3 meters at a glance.

When the Emperor simply struck down from above, Asel was busy just blocking.

“If you want to give up, feel free to say so anytime!”

“That won’t happen.”

Clang-!

Asel swung his arm in a wide arc.

His sword traced a circular trajectory as it swept around, and the Emperor’s sword was pushed back for the first time.

“I was trying not to use this… You really are impressive.”

Whooooo-

The aura surrounding his sword began turning pitch black.

The Emperor’s eyes widened with interest.

“Is that attribute conversion? What kind of attribute is that exactly?”

“I’ll show you from now on.”

The aura separated from his body split into hundreds of thorns.

The thorns rose up forming a circle, their sharp points facing each other.

And then.

Krrrrrrrr-!

A chilling sound like metal scraping echoed through the air.

Pluton-style magic application.

Shark’s Nest.

The thorns were arranged in an interlocking pattern like shark teeth.

It looked as if a giant mouth had formed in mid-air.

The next moment, the ‘mouth’ charged toward the Emperor like hunting prey.

“Oh no!”

Crack! Crack!

The Emperor swung his sword to defend, but couldn’t completely deflect hundreds of thorns.

The mouth bit into the Emperor’s body, which wasn’t wrapped in aura.

Blood dripped steadily from torn wounds all over.

“Hey you bastard! I’m not even using aura and you’re being too much!”

“Your Majesty was the one who teased me first.”

“When did I!”

“Didn’t you show me that you could easily handle an Expert even with your bare body?”

Krrrrrrrr-!

Black teeth clacked together in the air.

Even though it had no eyes, the Emperor felt as if he was making eye contact with a predator.

“Next time I won’t end it at this level.”

The mouth tore through the air as it charged toward the Emperor.

The Emperor cried out in alarm.

“Stop! I surrender! I surrender!”

He threw his sword to the ground and raised both arms.

“Damn dirty bastard! You don’t know the meaning of ‘moderation’, tsk tsk…”

Genta’s jaw dropped so low it nearly touched the ground after witnessing the unbelievable scene.

“See?”

Diago cleared his throat proudly.

“I told you our kid is the best.”

* * *

“I never thought I would lose.”

The Emperor kept his promise.

Below the platform, five round spirit pills and ten thousand gold coins were piled up like a mountain.

“The gold coins are one thing, but those spirit pills… I collected those for hundreds of years…”

“As expected of His Majesty the Emperor. I cannot help but be moved by your ocean-like benevolence.”

“Shut your mouth. It’s making me angry.”

I examined the appearance of the spirit pills.

They didn’t seem to be Demon Spirit Pills.

Based on an ochre color, brilliant and colorful lights flowed subtly.

“Those spirit pills were made using secret techniques passed down only in Suinuk. In terms of performance alone, I’m confident they surpass even those Demon Spirit Pills.”

Spirit pills that surpass Demon Spirit Pills.

And five of them at that.

Plus an enormous amount of gold coins that would last a lifetime.

‘I’ll have to put the gold coins in subspace to take them.’

With this much, even if I didn’t pass the Nox Cartel entrance exam, the gains from Suinuk already exceeded imagination.

“By the way, don’t gobble up the spirit pills all at once, make sure to take them with at least six-month intervals.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Spirit pills generally lose effectiveness if consumed in large quantities at once, and can cause bodily abnormalities.

I was planning to do that even if the Emperor hadn’t mentioned it.

“Anyway, I’ve given you the reward, so now get lost.”

“Then, are you telling me to leave the castle immediately?”

“Damn bastard. Do I look like such a petty person to you? Rest as long as you want or whatever.”

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively as if annoyed.

“May I ask one last thing?”

“What is it.”

I glanced around briefly.

“May I approach and speak to you for a moment?”

The Emperor nodded as if giving permission.

“Do you happen to know about a criminal organization called the ‘Nine Demon Association’ that’s recently emerging in Suinuk?”

“…!!”

The Emperor was startled.

“How do you know about those bastards?”

“This is not something to discuss where there are watching eyes. If it’s alright with you, may I speak with you privately later?”

As expected.

The Emperor knows something.

Judging by his reaction, it seemed there were dangerous aspects beyond what those bastards knew.

The Emperor fidgeted with his mane before speaking in a low voice.

“Come to my bedchamber tonight.”

No, when you put it like that, it sounds weird!

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————