WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 112: The Choice (3)
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“Gueeeek!”
Ja Muk-hyun kept vomiting blood.
His insides had been shaken so badly that he could barely remain standing. He had protected his body with internal energy, but flying through the air at such incredible speed that he could hardly open his eyes had left his organs feeling squeezed under immense pressure.
Even in that state, Ja Muk-hyun could not hide his shock as he looked around.
‘...The Formation Array was breached like this?’
To enter the Paralysis Blade Estate, one had to pass through the Formation Array’s safe route.
Yet Mumu had flown in and broken through straight down the middle. The expectation that he would be repelled or fail to enter the Paralysis Blade Estate’s base had been spectacularly wrong.
‘...He really isn’t human.’
Everyone in the Paralysis Blade Estate must have been quite shocked to see the Formation Array breached this way.
Especially the person who ruled this place.
‘The Estate Master...’
As Ja Muk-hyun continued vomiting, Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong came into view.
It had been nearly two years and several months since he had last seen them, but their distinctive bearing and intense impression remained unchanged.
Yet Ja Hyeong-gyeong was staring at Mumu with eyes full of caution.
‘The Estate Master feels it too.’
The pressure emanating from Mumu.
It instinctively stimulated all five senses.
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong was a master with far deeper internal energy than Ja Muk-hyun, so they would feel it even more clearly.
Then Mumu opened his mouth.
“Are you all from the Paralysis Blade Estate?”
Mumu asked as casually as if he had come out for a stroll.
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong and the Paralysis Blade Estate warriors surrounding him frowned. Of course, not everyone reacted that way.
Shing!
A scarred middle-aged figure drew their sword and spoke.
“Who are you? Who are you to bring the young master here and invade this place?”
‘Guardian Gok O.’
The middle-aged figure was Gok O.
One of the Estate Master’s two Guardians, Gok O was a master who had reached the peak of the Master realm. They could be hot-blooded and impatient, but in terms of martial prowess, Gok O ranked among the Paralysis Blade Estate’s three strongest fighters.
Mumu answered their wary question.
“I’m Mumu.”
“Mumu?”
“But I think I asked first. Are you people from the Paralysis Blade Estate?”
At Mumu’s words, Guardian Gok O felt anger rise from deep within.
Still, Gok O was a skilled martial artist. They could not fail to sense the strange pressure radiating from Mumu.
Because of that, they found it difficult to act rashly.
‘What is this? Is this bastard really human?’
Rather than stimulating Ki sense, it was stimulating all five senses.
It felt much like standing before a savage beast.
A master of Gok O’s caliber would not submit to a beast, but before learning Martial Arts as a child, Gok O had once encountered a vicious tiger up close.
What remained from that memory was the feeling of becoming prey before a predator.
That was exactly how it felt now.
‘Why does this bastard make me feel what I felt then...?’
It became harder and harder for Guardian Gok O to meet Mumu’s eyes.
Their pride and fiery temperament kept them from looking away, but cold sweat was slowly spreading across their face.
‘...This can’t be.’
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong’s eyes trembled.
They had thought Mumu was extraordinary, but this sensation felt strangely familiar.
It was the same feeling they had when standing before that person.
The pressure that even brought back the shiver they had forgotten since seventeen years ago.
‘The Council Head?’
The Council Head of the Mighty Conqueror Council, the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, came to mind.
Just then, Ja Muk-hyun, who had finally calmed down after vomiting for some time, spoke.
“Y-yes... this is the Paralysis Blade Estate.”
“Is that so? I came to confirm it myself.”
“That person is Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong, the head of the Paralysis Blade Estate that took me in.”
From Ja Muk-hyun’s words, Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong could make one guess.
The Ja Muk-hyun they had taught would never casually bow to another person.
For him to treat someone with such respect meant that the boy might be that person’s blood relative.
‘But didn’t he just say his name was Mumu?’
None of that person’s blood relatives were named Mumu.
There were Mu Il, Mui, Mu Sa, and Mu O.
Among them, the only one Ja Muk-hyun would show such respect toward was Mui, the future Master.
Then Ja Muk-hyun raised his voice so everyone could hear.
“Estate Master. Guardian Gok O, and brothers of the Paralysis Blade Estate. This person is another surviving blood relative of that person, and Mumu young master, the future Master.”
“That person’s blood relative?”
Murmur, murmur!
The surroundings stirred at Ja Muk-hyun’s words.
Someone they had never heard of had suddenly appeared, and he was being called the future Master. What was this supposed to mean?
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong and Guardian Gok O felt the same way.
They had never even heard the name Mumu.
“Muk-hyun.”
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong finally spoke.
At the call, Ja Muk-hyun showed proper respect. If Mumu had not been there, he would have dropped to one knee, but according to the etiquette used when a higher-ranking person was present, he clasped both hands and gave a fist-and-palm salute.
Seeing his attitude, Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong asked in confusion.
“The future Master?”
At that question, Ja Muk-hyun seemed to realize something and cautiously spoke to Mumu.
“Future Master. Please show them the Jade Medallion.”
At Ja Muk-hyun’s request, Mumu gently took the Jade Medallion from his waist.
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong frowned upon seeing it.
The Jade Medallion was undoubtedly a token.
On the back of the medallion Mumu held up was engraved:
[Mumu]
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong’s thoughts became complicated.
‘There was another one?’
After that person died, the remaining comrades of the council had made countless sacrifices to save four children carrying that person’s bloodline.
They were Mu Il, Mui, Mu Sa, and Mu O.
Mu Sam had tragically died along the way, but that person had clearly had four children.
“Estate Master, how can this be?”
Guardian Gok O could not hide their confusion either.
This was the first they had heard that there was another person carrying that person’s bloodline.
‘Could it be that he hid something from us?’
It seemed only that person, the sole individual who had risked their life to escape the Mighty Conqueror Council during the war, knew the truth of this matter.
Then Mumu put the Jade Medallion back at his waist and spoke.
“Now you know who I am.”
Even after Mumu spoke, the crowd only continued murmuring. No one gave any particular response.
Ja Muk-hyun became anxious inside.
Then Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong dropped to one knee, clasped their hands together, and offered a greeting.
“Ja Hyeong-gyeong, Estate Master of the Paralysis Blade Estate, pays respects to the young master.”
Murmur, murmur!
The warriors who had been murmuring eventually followed their example.
Guardian Gok O did the same.
“We pay respects to the young master!!!”
Every warrior who had surrounded them offered a formal greeting.
As they did, Mumu asked Ja Muk-hyun with a puzzled expression.
“They aren’t calling me the future Master?”
“...That is because, aside from the Jade Medallion, you have not yet had anything else recognized.”
Mu Il and Mui had already had their martial talent recognized by the heads of the House of the Eight Villains.
That was why they were called the future Master.
Mumu, on the other hand, had nothing recognized beyond the Jade Medallion proving that he carried the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter’s bloodline.
“Is that so?”
“Did I not tell you? To receive the House of the Eight Villains’ loyalty, you must have your martial talent recognized and inherit that person’s Martial Arts.”
“Sure, sure. I understand. I’ll check it out.”
At Mumu’s words, Ja Muk-hyun clicked his tongue inwardly.
Mumu’s strength had surpassed the limits of an ordinary human, but that did not mean it could solve everything.
Even the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, once called the strongest under heaven, had fallen to the combined assault of the Four Immortal Masters.
That had happened seventeen years ago.
Perhaps the Four Immortal Masters had become far stronger than they had been back then.
That was why they had plotted schemes to make those people turn on one another.
‘Please follow the proper order. Only then can you lead the House of the Eight Villains.’
Ja Muk-hyun could not bring himself to say it.
He thought Mumu would understand faster through experience than through a hundred explanations.
Then Mumu looked at Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong and spoke.
“Muk-hyun senior here said that, to receive the loyalty of you people, my birth father’s retainers, I have to do all sorts of things.”
At Mumu’s words, Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong looked at Ja Muk-hyun.
It seemed that the child had explained the path to leading the House of the Eight Villains to Mumu, the newly appeared owner of a Jade Medallion.
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong gave a fist-and-palm salute and spoke.
“If you heard it from that child, then what you heard is correct.”
“Is that so? But do we really need to make it so complicated?”
“What do you mean by complicated?”
“I came here to tell you to stop making things difficult and just swear loyalty to me. And naturally, if you swear loyalty, you will obey my orders without question.”
‘!?’
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong’s expression stiffened at Mumu’s words.
The Paralysis Blade Estate warriors, including Guardian Gok O, were no different.
An unheard-of blood relative of that person had suddenly appeared and told them to swear loyalty while ignoring every agreement made between the House of the Eight Villains and the Jade Medallion owners.
To them, Mumu’s demand went beyond arrogance. It was absurd.
‘Ha...’
Ja Hyeong-gyeong clicked their tongue inwardly.
Mumu’s demand did remind them of the past.
The process by which the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, Council Head of the Mighty Conqueror Council, had subdued the people of the force of evil had also been incredibly tyrannical.
In the end, everyone had followed him because they were captivated by his strength.
But this was not that time.
They needed a Master who had inherited everything from that person.
If Mumu truly wanted to become the head of the House of the Eight Villains, he only needed to compete against the others, defeat them, and inherit that person’s Martial Arts.
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong respectfully opened their mouth.
“Young master. If you wish to succeed that person as the Council Head of the Mighty Conqueror Council and subdue the House of the Eight Villains, including our Paralysis Blade Estate...”
“Who decided that a Master must follow their subordinates’ standards?”
“...”
At Mumu’s words, one of Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong’s eyebrows rose.
They did not know about anything else, but this arrogant attitude did seem to resemble his father’s.
Of course, the other future Masters were much the same.
“Young master... if you were the only person carrying that person’s blood, every one of us in the House of the Eight Villains would have recognized you as our Master without objection. But there are five people, including you, who carry that person’s blood.”
“So you want me to compete?”
“That is correct. Inherit that person’s Martial Arts. If you obtain the Tyrant Blood Demonic Art, then even if you do not want it, our Paralysis Blade Estate and the entire House of the Eight Villains will...”
Swoosh!
Mumu held out his hand.
When Mumu cut them off, Guardian Gok O’s expression darkened fiercely.
No matter how extraordinary he was, and no matter if he had inherited that person’s blood, how could he invade the heart of the Paralysis Blade Estate and act so insolently?
Guardian Gok O finally spoke, their voice filled with anger.
“Young master. The heads of the House of the Eight Villains, including the Estate Master, are loyal vassals who served that person. To dismiss their opinions like that...”
“Sure, sure. I understand. But you people have one misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“From what I hear, your goal is to avenge my birth father and pursue conquest of the realm or something like that. Is that right?”
Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong and Guardian Gok O frowned at Mumu’s words.
What was he trying to say?
As they wondered, Mumu continued.
“But if that is what you want to do, then I do not need you people at all.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
Mumu answered Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong’s question casually.
“I’m accepting you because I’m worried that you’ll cause trouble without knowing what you’re doing, going on about revenge and conquest of the realm.”
“Young master!”
At those words, Guardian Gok O could no longer contain their anger and roared.
He might carry that person’s blood, but he was only a seventeen-year-old brat.
No matter how strong he was, how could he stand in the middle of the mighty Paralysis Blade Estate, overflowing with countless masters, and spout such arrogant, utterly mad words?
“If you go any further, then no matter if you are the young master...”
Clench!
Mumu clenched his fist.
The instant he did, the deltoid, triceps, biceps, and forearm muscles of his right arm twitched and swelled with such dense definition that they looked savage.
Creak! Creak!
‘W-what kind of muscles are those?’
For a moment, even Guardian Gok O lost their words, their gaze drawn to Mumu’s arm.
Mumu looked northeast and muttered.
“Would that be good enough? More or less...”
With those words, Mumu swung his fist toward a point higher than the warriors of the Paralysis Blade Estate who surrounded him.
Baaaaang!
At that instant, a tremendous blast, loud enough to rupture eardrums, rang out. The air where Mumu had swung his fist rippled in a circular wave.
Along with immense wind pressure, the mist surrounding the Paralysis Blade Estate’s base split apart in a fan shape.
Then...
Kwakwakwakwakwakwa-boom!
A massive hole was punched through the mountain valley cliff that enclosed the Paralysis Blade Estate’s northwest side like a fortress.
Could it even be called a hole?
The enormous new cave pierced all the way through to the other side of the cliff, and its diameter was nearly twenty jang.
‘!!!!!!!!’
Everyone looking at the gaping opening stood frozen with their jaws hanging open.
For a moment, their thoughts stopped at the sight before them.
What were they looking at?
‘...This... this is...’
Guardian Gok O’s legs went weak, and they staggered.
Could this truly be human strength?
Gok O looked at Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong.
Ja Hyeong-gyeong was so shocked that they could not take their widened eyes off the massive hole through the cliff.
[I do not need you people at all.]
Only now did Estate Master Ja Hyeong-gyeong think they understood what Mumu had meant.
‘Ha...’
This was a being from an entirely different realm, wearing human skin.
Then Mumu’s voice reached their ears.
“I’m just asking because I’m curious. You keep telling me to get the Tyrant Blood Demonic Art or whatever it is. Is it really that amazing?”
“...”
Footnotes:
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