WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 100: Kang Mui (2)
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Boom! Rumble!
The sound of a collapsing building spread throughout the academy.
‘It worked.’
Kang Mu-i hurried toward the Changcheon Martial Archive.
His steps felt heavier than before, and his mind was full of concerns. Though everything had gone according to plan, he had never expected Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang to appear in person.
‘...Will this benefit me, or harm me?’
O Mu-yang supported that one, not him.
The person responsible for the Grand Plan in the Imperial Palace had come here with a clear purpose.
‘So they are after that after all.’
They needed that secret manual to become complete.
Though he had been an enemy, Kang Mu-i had never believed they would easily dispose of the secret manual left behind by the man once called the strongest under heaven, the Conqueror, and the Martial God.
That was why they had spent so long searching for it.
Eventually, they learned it might have been divided like spoils of war and kept in the Imperial Palace Martial Archive and Changcheon Martial Academy.
‘It is finally within reach.’
O Mu-yang's arrival made it highly likely that person had either caught wind of it or had already obtained the other half.
The former was troublesome enough, but the latter would be the worst outcome.
The complete secret manual would be in that person's hands.
‘I have to obtain it first.’
Otherwise, he would be at a disadvantage.
The scheme to sow discord was already proceeding without issue. Once it succeeded, carrying out the second Grand Plan would not be difficult.
Even if he had to take some risks, copying the secret manual came first.
[...Then you will be able to lay your hands on the secret manual.]
Master Heo had told him how to obtain it.
The Changcheon Martial Archive had shut down because of the recent string of incidents. This was his only opportunity.
‘I only need to see it once.’
Unlike that person, he had the advantage of this mind.
A single glance was enough for him to understand and memorize even a secret manual containing the most profound principles.
The tower of the Changcheon Martial Archive came into view.
‘If not for that bastard, things would never have gone this far off course.’
Yu Mumu.
That bastard was the greatest variable.
If Kang Mu-i had known this would happen, he should have killed him at the Old Teaching Hall.
He had spared Mumu because he found the boy interesting and thought he might be useful. That decision had properly come back to haunt him.
‘A mistake.’
That single moment of interest had disrupted the Grand Plan.
If not for Yu Mumu, Changcheon Martial Academy would have been under pressure from the Imperial Palace, various martial clans, and factions by now.
The division among the Four Immortal Masters should have followed as well.
Yet the only part that had succeeded was the coming split between the Eastern River Sword Sage and the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle.
That was at least fortunate.
What enraged Kang Mu-i most was that Yu Mumu had made all his efforts meaningless.
‘To think he took the Golden Fragrance Snow Blossom.’
It had been part of his plan to earn Dan Baek-yeon's final star mark.
While devising a way to earn her approval, he had learned that she treasured the Golden Fragrance Snow Blossom, a flower from her Northern Seas homeland.
He had spent a long time raising the seeds until they bloomed.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
He had never expected Mumu to touch the Golden Fragrance Snow Blossom.
Kang Mu-i had thought the boy entered the Old Teaching Hall out of simple curiosity.
Thanks to him, all seven star marks Kang Mu-i had earned became worthless.
If he had received just one more, he could have entered the hidden third level of the Underground Martial Archive without trouble. Instead, he had been forced to change his plans.
‘You brought all of this upon yourself.’
If Mumu had not meddled where he was not needed, he would not have had to die.
While everyone's attention remained fixed on the collapsed Old Teaching Hall, Kang Mu-i needed to finish this quickly.
[There is considerable risk, but it may be better to turn our thinking around.]
[Turn our thinking around?]
[Yes. The incident just happened, and even investigators from the Censorate have arrived. They will assume we would not dare make a move.]
[Oh.]
It made sense.
Who would expect anyone to boldly target the Changcheon Martial Archive in broad daylight when officials from the Censorate were present?
[It is a plan that kills three birds with one stone.]
The collapse would eliminate that bastard and erase every trace.
Kang Mu-i could use the opportunity to obtain the secret manual.
As an official of the Censorate, Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang would have no choice but to head to the collapsed Old Teaching Hall.
‘Shall I begin, then?’
Entering through the front of the tower was too risky. He needed to infiltrate from an upper floor.
That was the only way to avoid the guard warriors' eyes.
Kang Mu-i reviewed the route he had planned in his mind.
‘First, I will temporarily stop the Infernal Thousand Calamities Ten-Thousand Transforms Formation in the mechanism device room on the first floor...’
Flinch!
As he reviewed the plan, Kang Mu-i felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
He looked up.
‘!?’
Someone appeared as a tiny dot in the sky.
Most masters would not have been able to make out what it was, but Kang Mu-i could.
He knew exactly who it was.
‘Yu Mumu?’
It was Mumu without question.
Kang Mu-i narrowed his eyes.
The deafening sound and tremors from earlier had come from the Old Teaching Hall collapsing.
Why was that bastard up there?
‘...Did it fail?’
If Mumu was unharmed, it meant the plan had failed.
Kang Mu-i could not understand it.
Unless Mumu had entered the building, there would have been no reason for it to collapse. The chances of this plan failing should have been low.
‘Did something go wrong?’
As he stood there in confusion, Mumu, floating in the air, looked directly at Kang Mu-i.
‘Could it be...’
Had he risen into the air to find him?
Even a master with profound internal energy and a high realm would struggle to spot someone in an instant while scanning such a broad area.
Yet Mumu had swept his gaze across the surroundings from that height and found him exactly.
‘...Things have gone wrong. I have no choice. Before he gets here...’
Bang!
The air seemed to tear apart as a rippling shockwave spread out.
Mumu came flying toward him at terrifying speed.
Boom!
He landed in front of Kang Mu-i like a falling meteor.
The shattered ground caved in for nearly three jang around Mumu.
Kang Mu-i stared at him, his eyes sharp.
‘He kicked off the air?’
It was completely beyond his expectations.
Mumu had kicked through empty air and reached him in a single bound.
And then...
Hissss!
‘What is this appearance?’
Every muscle in Mumu's body had swelled until he was far larger than an ordinary adult man. His skin had turned gray, and steam poured from his entire body.
His presence was overwhelming.
‘So Master Heo's words were not empty.’
Even after receiving the warning, Kang Mu-i had not easily believed it. He had seen Mumu at the Old Teaching Hall and had some understanding of his strength.
Yet after witnessing a feat like Walking on Air and seeing Mumu like this, he understood.
He understood how Master Heo had been defeated.
Kang Mu-i's gaze fell on the Ki-Restraining Bracelets around Mumu's wrists and ankles.
‘It really is an artifact.’
Such a drastic change could not happen naturally.
The words of Master Heo, Sa Mu-heo, came back to him.
[Since you faced him yourself, you must have thought of some way to guard against it.]
[Either neutralize the artifact or deal with him before he can activate it.]
That was what he had said.
How ironic.
Kang Mu-i wanted to deal with Mumu before he activated the artifact, but Mumu had already appeared before him in perfect condition.
‘...’
The latter option was no longer available.
That left only the former, neutralizing the artifact.
‘I will have to destroy it.’
Even an artifact was not all-powerful.
Everything in this world could decay in one way or another. Destroying it was the answer.
Before that, though...
"You look quite hostile."
At Kang Mu-i's words, Mumu slowly rose from his crouch.
"I'll be direct."
"Direct?"
"Senior, you're with them too, aren't you?"
"Who are you referring to?"
"The people who set fire to the dormitory, killed Hang Yeon of the Changcheon Martial Archive, who was formerly one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice, and framed Hong Hye-ryeong."
Kang Mu-i gave a small laugh.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
Mumu scratched his head as Kang Mu-i played dumb.
"Is that so? Then let me change the question. Why did you erase the traces beneath the Old Teaching Hall, and why did you collapse the building?"
Kang Mu-i waved a dismissive hand, putting on an easygoing manner.
"A building? The Old Teaching Hall? Why are you saying such things to me? I told you before, I do not understand a word you are saying."
"So you're all cut from the same cloth?"
"Cut from the same cloth?"
"Master Sa Mu-heo gave the same answer as you. Of course, he started talking after getting thoroughly beaten."
Kang Mu-i's eyes sharpened at Mumu's words.
He was playing dumb to avoid giving Mumu anything to use against him, but the boy was unbearably arrogant.
After defeating Master Heo, Mumu seemed to have become full of himself.
"You are more unreasonable than you look. Are you that proud of your own strength?"
"I'm not being unreasonable. They say it is hard to learn a great deal of Martial Arts at once, but I can see many colors mixed together in you, Senior."
"Many colors?"
To Mumu's eyes, Kang Mu-i's energy did not feel whole.
It was filled with a remarkable variety of colors.
One closely resembled the energy of Dan Baek-yeon's Icy Heart Sutra.
"Most people have one or two colors. Since you alone have so many, doesn't that mean you've learned many Martial Arts?"
The light in Kang Mu-i's eyes grew stronger.
This bastard was more troublesome than he had thought.
He did not know what Mumu meant by colors, but it sounded as if the boy could see through his secret.
"You are becoming very irritating."
"Am I?"
"I suppose I should have killed you back then."
Hummm!
Sharp blue ki manifestation began forming around Kang Mu-i's hands.
Reaching a realm where he could form ki manifestation with his bare hands instead of a sword or weapon meant Kang Mu-i's Martial Arts rivaled the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
Yet that was not the end.
Rip! Rip!
The sleeves around Kang Mu-i's arms tore apart as his muscles bunched into unnatural shapes.
They had swollen until they rivaled Mumu's own enlarged muscles.
Interest flickered in Mumu's eyes.
"You did not think you were the only one who could manipulate muscles, did you?"
‘I have mastered every book in the archives.’
Kang Mu-i had memorized most of the Martial Arts within the Changcheon Martial Archive and the first and second levels of the hidden Underground Martial Archive, then found the most efficient form suited to himself.
By using On Muscle Contraction and Release, he drew out the greatest physical strength his body could produce. By covering himself in the ki manifestation of United Internal Energy, he had gained his greatest power.
‘Ki-Force Unity!’
It was not power he wished to reveal lightly.
Still, whether the power before him came from an artifact or not, Mumu had defeated even Master Heo, Sa Mu-heo. Kang Mu-i had no intention of lowering his guard.
He intended to kill Mumu with his strongest power from the beginning.
"I will show you the might of Ki-Force Unity."
Whoosh!
Kang Mu-i's figure blurred, leaving an afterimage behind.
In an instant, he closed in before Mumu.
Bang!
With the sound of air tearing apart, Kang Mu-i's tyrannical fist shot toward the center of Mumu's chest.
It was so fast that the fist had already reached Mumu's chest before Mumu could react.
Boom!
The fist of Ki-Force Unity carried the force to destroy everything.
The instant it struck Mumu's chest, an enormous blast rang out.
The corners of Kang Mu-i's lips rose.
‘He got drunk on his own strength and let his guard down...’
Then his rising smile twisted.
Kang Mu-i believed that the fist of Ki-Force Unity, the ultimate union of external energy and internal energy, would pierce straight through Mumu's chest.
But...
Hissss!
Steam flowed from Mumu's chest, completely unharmed.
There was not even a trace of the blow.
"You?"
What kind of body was this?
Mumu stood there blankly, then narrowed his eyes at the flustered Kang Mu-i.
"Disappointing."
"What?"
"What a shame."
The moment Mumu finished speaking, he struck Kang Mu-i's head with his palm.
"Urk!"
Boom!
The ground shattered as if smashed to pieces, and Kang Mu-i's body sank into the earth as though a hammer had driven him down.
Footnotes:
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