WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 39: The Grandmaster's Title (5)
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The people hiding around the square and watching the battle were not merely ordinary academy cadets.
Four others were watching the duel just as intently.
They were the descendants of the Four Immortal Masters.
Do Yang-woon, grandson of the Northern Heaven Fist Hero. Gu Yang Seo-rin and Gu Yang Seo-han, the twin grandchildren of the Western Wind Lone Angle. And Hong Hye-ryeong, daughter of the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle, who had been released after her name was cleared through the Eastern River Sword Sage's testimony.
"...This can't be."
They could hardly believe their eyes.
By chance, they had gathered after Hong Hye-ryeong was cleared of the false accusation. Then they sensed a fierce clash powerful enough to shake the entire academy and rushed over.
They had assumed the fight might be between the Eastern River Sword Sage and the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle. They thought the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle had hurried to the academy to protect Hong Hye-ryeong and clashed with the Eastern River Sword Sage in the process.
But no one could have expected this outcome.
"That's impossible."
Gu Yang Seo-han was the most dumbfounded of them all.
Gu Yang Seo-rin had made such a fuss about Mumu, and Do Yang-woon kept calling him Master Mumu despite how unfitting it sounded, so he had thought Mumu might have some hidden trump card.
But this was far beyond that.
"Does this even make sense?"
Do Yang-woon, grandson of the Northern Heaven Fist Hero and Gu Yang Seo-han's rival, spoke in an equally disbelieving voice.
"...I never imagined Master Mumu was this strong."
"No, did that guy really defeat Uncle Shin?"
"Can't you tell by looking?"
"It's not that I can't tell. It just doesn't make sense. That guy has practically learned no Martial Arts, so how could he..."
Before he could finish, Do Yang-woon began trembling.
His body shook as though he were overcome with a thrill, and he spoke with deep emotion.
"Master has proven it."
"Proven what?"
"That muscle training is the truth."
"..."
Gu Yang Seo-han was so dumbfounded that no words came out.
Muscle training was the truth?
Did this idiot honestly believe Mumu had defeated Shin Ui-gyeom, the Eastern River Sword Sage, through muscle training alone?
"Say something that makes sen..."
"Seo-han. You should enter the Muscle Training School too. From now on, I'll devote myself to muscle training even more."
'...Stop talking nonsense.'
He wanted to say it, but Gu Yang Seo-han merely clicked his tongue.
Do Yang-woon had always been a quiet fanatic of bare-handed combat and muscle training. He was not the type to listen to anyone else.
It would probably be better to talk to Hong Hye-ryeong or Gu Yang Seo-rin instead.
"You two think the same as I..."
Gu Yang Seo-han trailed off.
Hong Hye-ryeong was staring intently at Mumu, her flushed face and reddened eyes giving her away.
Why was she acting like that? Still, Mumu had helped her more than once.
And seeing Mumu defeat the Eastern River Sword Sage, one of the Four Immortal Masters whose fame stood alongside her father's, made her heart swell with emotion before she even realized it.
'...So it was possible.'
She had believed the Four Immortal Masters were walls that could never be surpassed, even in a lifetime.
Unless they grew old and weakened, their strongholds would surely endure forever. That was what she had thought.
Yet that stronghold had fallen.
At the hands of a seventeen-year-old boy.
'I had despaired.'
Even with her father's divine artifact, the Flame Shadow Great Rift Blade, she had envisioned nothing but defeat.
But after seeing Mumu overcome one of the Four Immortal Masters, a blazing fighting spirit boiled within her chest.
That was the image she had dreamed of since childhood.
The birth of a new hero.
It was the dream she had longed for more than anything.
"Hehe. Looks like you like him too. But I've already got my eye on him."
Gu Yang Seo-rin spoke in a warning tone.
Hong Hye-ryeong frowned.
"Pardon?"
"Oh, didn't you hear? I've got my eye on Mumu. Don't you want him too?"
"W-want him?"
Hong Hye-ryeong's face turned red with embarrassment.
At that moment, Gu Yang Seo-han cut in, looking utterly incredulous.
"What do you mean you've got your eye on him?"
"What's it to you if I set my sights on someone?"
"What do you mean, what's it to me? Is that any way to speak to your older brother?"
"Oh, right. You said before that if I found someone to become my partner, I should bring them to you. You said you'd test them."
"What?"
"I want him. So test him once."
"..."
Gu Yang Seo-han fell silent and unconsciously swallowed.
He had complained that he couldn't believe it, but how was he supposed to test someone who had defeated the Eastern River Sword Sage, a master considered to stand at the peak of the current martial world alongside his grandfather?
At that point, it would not be an exaggeration to call Mumu a new Grandmaster.
"You can't even bluff now."
"B-bluff? How am I supposed to test someone Uncle Shin couldn't handle?"
"That's true. And if anyone wants to defeat Master Mumu, they'll have to defeat me first, the foremost disciple of the Muscle Training School."
"...Could you stay out of this?"
"What? Are you looking down on me?"
"Looking down on you... You're injured. What do you mean, defeating anyone?"
Gu Yang Seo-rin snorted as she watched the two bicker.
Men and their contests of pride were always childish.
Her gaze returned to Mumu.
'At this point, he doesn't even need Grandfather's approval. Grandfather should be the one worried about winning his.'
Gu Yang Seo-rin slowly licked her upper lip and smacked her lips.
* * *
Three people remained in the holding cell, locked in a tense standoff.
One of them was Kang Mu-i, both legs bound in black iron chains.
Kang Mu-i silently watched the two people guarding him.
They were the Eastern River Sword Sage's disciples, Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong and Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo.
'What should I do?'
Kang Mu-i was quite anxious.
The plan to drive the Four Immortal Masters into conflict, the most important part of the Grand Plan, had already failed.
There was no reason to endure this place any longer.
Come to think of it, this was his chance.
'That bastard Mumu has no chance of winning anyway.'
The pressure that stirred all five senses had certainly been tremendous.
But his opponent was the Eastern River Sword Sage, one of the Four Immortal Masters.
After personally experiencing Sword Twelve and the ki weapon of someone who had reached the realm of Sword and Body as One, Kang Mu-i could only foresee Mumu's defeat.
Mumu's only card was his absurd, monstrous strength.
'Right. I'll leave.'
The Eastern River Sword Sage was one thing, but Kang Mu-i was confident he could deal with Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong and Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo if he used the Three Spirit Beasts, one of the six artifacts endowed with a will.
Having made up his mind, Kang Mu-i focused.
Even if he used the Three Spirit Beasts, he first had to open his blocked ki gateways.
"Whoo."
Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong snorted when he heard Kang Mu-i's breathing.
As expected, Kang Mu-i had no intention of staying quiet.
He could understand the feeling. Kang Mu-i had wagered his life on a gamble.
A gamble so hopeless that the result was practically decided already.
A duel between his master, the Eastern River Sword Sage, and an ordinary academy cadet, Mumu.
'No matter how much of a monster he is, Master is an even greater monster. The card you played has only delayed your death for a little while.'
Of course Kang Mu-i would think this was his chance.
But that was another mistake.
Yeong Ga-dong had long held the title of one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice, while his junior brother, Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo, possessed martial prowess that did not fall short even when compared to the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
Swish!
Yeong Chu-seo adjusted his form.
Then he spoke in an angry voice.
"Hey. Don't try anything. If you try to escape before Master returns, I'll cut off your head."
Yeong Chu-seo had also noticed from Kang Mu-i's breathing alone that he was attempting something.
At his warning, Kang Mu-i's breathing gradually became steadier.
Yeong Chu-seo stepped closer.
"I warned you..."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Before he could finish, the Golden Gate Locks embedded in Kang Mu-i's seven great gates shot out and lodged in the wall.
'He forced out the Golden Gate Locks on his own?'
For an instant, Yeong Chu-seo could not hide his surprise.
Even if it were him, with all seven great gates sealed, he would not be able to gather and refine enough life energy to force out the Golden Gate Locks in such a short time.
"You insist on making the wrong choice."
Yeong Chu-seo gathered his life energy and raised a ki sword from his sword-finger seal.
Then, swift as lightning, he unleashed Five Shadow Strikes, one of Sword One's Ultimate Techniques, at Kang Mu-i's vital acupoints.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The technique targeted the vital acupoints along his centerline, his forehead, philtrum, throat, chest, and abdomen.
If even two of those vital acupoints were struck, the ki sword would penetrate his body and paralyze his entire body.
At that moment, Kang Mu-i raised his right hand.
Fwoooosh!
Amazingly, flames erupted from Kang Mu-i's bare hand without warning.
The sudden flames quickly became a pillar of fire, blocking the path of Five Shadow Strikes.
'What is this?'
Yeong Chu-seo's eyes widened.
To be able to handle flame ki meant...
"So you really are the culprit!"
Slash!
Enraged, Yeong Chu-seo split the pillar of fire in half with his ki sword.
As he searched for Kang Mu-i, who had vanished from sight, he suddenly felt something cold above his head.
"Hah!"
Yeong Chu-seo hurriedly leaped backward with the Body-Lightening Technique.
Cold ki crashed down where he had stood, frost spreading through the area as the floor froze solid.
Crack!
"You bastard!"
Yeong Chu-seo sprang from the freezing floor and kicked at Kang Mu-i's face.
Kang Mu-i should have avoided it, but he took the kick head-on.
'What?'
Just then, a surge of thunder ki erupted the instant Yeong Chu-seo's foot made contact.
Crackle!
"Agh!"
Yeong Chu-seo screamed as the thunder ki paralyzed his body with searing pain, leaving him unable to move.
Kang Mu-i did not miss the opening and struck for Yeong Chu-seo's heart.
Crack!
A wooden box flew into Kang Mu-i's face.
The box shattered in Kang Mu-i's hand, and Yeong Chu-seo's body, briefly paralyzed by thunder ki, recovered enough for him to quickly create distance.
The one who had thrown the wooden box was, of course, Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong.
"Senior Brother, that bastard..."
"I know."
Yeong Ga-dong was equally astonished.
Flame ki and cold ki were unusual, but some Martial Arts cultivated Yang ki and Yin ki to their extremes, allowing their practitioners to wield such energies.
But no one could handle Yang ki and cold ki at the same time, since the two energies opposed each other.
Fwoosh!
Whoosh!
Flame ki flowed from Kang Mu-i's right hand, while cold ki flowed from his left.
Yeong Ga-dong frowned, unable to understand it.
How could he wield such opposing energies simultaneously?
'Could it be an artifact?'
Yet there was nothing on Kang Mu-i's body that looked like an artifact.
Yeong Ga-dong raised his voice and demanded an answer.
"How can you handle three energies at once?"
"Is there any reason I need to tell you that?"
Kang Mu-i answered with a snort.
Those bastards would never learn his secret, even if they died and came back to life.
And they could not possibly be a match for him when he could freely wield thunder ki, flame ki, and cold ki.
"Since it has come to this, I'll kill you before I leave and vent some frustration. It'll make a fine gift for the Eastern River Sword Sage. Hahaha!"
The Eastern River Sword Sage might be a monster, but dealing with these two would not be a problem.
Yeong Chu-seo gritted his teeth at Kang Mu-i's arrogance.
Creak!
"Senior Brother, I don't know how that bastard can wield three energies, but that power is like a sorcerous art. Let us suppress him together first."
"Let's do that."
The moment Kang Mu-i demonstrated that he could freely handle three energies, he stopped being some inexperienced youngster.
There was no reason to stubbornly insist on a one-on-one fight.
"You think a combined attack can stand against three kinds of ki?"
Kang Mu-i shouted and launched himself forward.
The Eastern River Sword Sage's two disciples also raised their ki swords and rushed toward him.
Whoosh!
Just as the three were about to collide,
Whoooosh! Boom!
Someone dropped through the broken ceiling and landed on the floor between them.
The three had no choice but to retreat at the same time.
The one who had suddenly appeared between them was none other than...
"Mumu?"
"You?"
Kang Mu-i and Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo stared at Mumu with shocked expressions.
'What?'
'How did this guy...?'
None of the three could hide their confusion.
If Mumu had suddenly appeared here, did that mean his duel with the Eastern River Sword Sage had already ended?
Seeing Mumu without so much as a scratch, it seemed the fight must have stopped midway.
There was no other way he could look so unharmed.
Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong hurriedly asked, puzzled.
"...What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"What happened to the duel with Master?"
"Oh, the fight? It's over."
"It's over?"
"Yes."
"Then where is Master, and why are you alone..."
"Ah. The Eastern River Sword Sage was badly injured, so the Academy Director rushed him to the infirmary."
'!?'
At Mumu's casual words, all three stood there stunned.
Footnotes:
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